Grading Thunder players after loss to Knicks at home

Grading the Thunder starters:

OKC’s leader was unable to provide the heroics that were likely needed for a victory in this one. Nonetheless, it was still quite an impressive performance for SGA. Gilgeous-Alexander made it to the 30-point threshold for the 11th time this season in just his 16th game. Shai got his teammates involved with seven assists, tying Josh Giddey for the team-high. Shai did all of this while also hitting 12 free throws to tie his season-high.

An “A” grade looked unlikely for Giddey at the half, but the Aussie turned it on after the break. Giddey didn’t match his triple-double performance in the Garden, but he wasn’t far off. He finished the game with 18 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. His performance in the second half helped keep the Thunder in striking distance, but the comeback was not meant to be.

To finish off the Thunder trifecta of great grades, Lu Dort put together his best offensive performance of the season. Dort matched his season-high 24 points from his last matchup with the Knicks and added three assists. Dirt’s effort on the boards was on display as he grabbed a season-high eight rebounds. His suffocating defense poked its head out here and there throughout the game to give him a block and a steal on the night as well.

Certainly was not the best performance from one of the oldest guys on the roster. Kenrich Williams tallied only 17 minutes against the Knicks. In his time on the court, he scored just four points and committed three fouls. Williams was also the lone starter on the bench to begin the third quarter as Mark Daigneault opted for Eugene Omoruyi instead.

Outside of the top three performers, OKC did not have many notable contributors. Robinson-Earl played for 21 minutes but was relatively quiet at that time. JRE finished the game with eight points, two rebounds, and two assists. Although, he did drain a quarter of the Thunder’s three-point makes, accounting for two of the eight.