OKC Thunder beat Raptors at their own game – player grades, Nov 11th
OKC Thunder starting lineup grades:
B. . PG. Oklahoma City Thunder. JOSH GIDDEY
Maybe the grade seems a bit harsh given everything Giddey offered in this game. He scored 15 points, collected nine rebounds, dished five assists, and had two steals. That was the good!
But on the opposite side of the equation he had SEVEN turnovers and of the Thunder players who logged more than five minutes had the lowest plus/minus (+8).
In truth, I like to try to give five different grades to help distinguish between each of the players. But those seven turnovers are concerning.
It’s fortunate the Raptors didn’t show up because that’s what they typically feast on and how they propel their offense. As it was the Thunder who average 13 turnovers per game had 19 in this game leading to 27 Raptors points.
It was about the ONLY thing Toronto did well or that resembles their typical identity. Also of note- Giddey was the player the Raptors were keying on as a target on the defensive end and he should use that to motivate his improvement on that side of the court.
A+. . G/F. Oklahoma City Thunder. SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER
Kudos to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for recognizing he didn’t need to do too much. The lure had to be there given he always puts up big numbers against the Raptors no doubt recognizing there are increased eyes on the game back home.
However, the combination of his team playing so well from the tip and the Raptors playing about as bad as I’ve witnessed (in several years) allowed SGA to kick back and watch as the lead kept growing.
SGA scored 20 points on 8 of 14 from the field including one of his two 3-point attempts. He added three rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block posting a plus +13 mark.
We can debate giving SGA a lower score and if you compare this to his seasonal averages you’d have a legitimate argument. BUT… I’d counter this performance was “A+” worthy because he was effective, efficient and led his squad delivering the above stat line in an economical 28 minutes.
That’s the sign of a true leader.
Add in Nick Nurse tried everything to stop him – the true hat tip from Nurse is when he runs the Box and 1 – something usually reserved for Steph, and Luka!