Game Grades: OKC Thunder grab impressive win in Golden State

Grading the OKC Thunder starters:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed the first matchup with Golden State but may have tried too hard to make up for it in this game. Oklahoma City’s star went for a game-high 24 points.

The Warriors gave him just about any shot he could have wanted from beyond the arc, leading to a season-high seven 3-point attempts. However, Gilgeous-Alexander struggled to get what he wanted inside the arc.

Gilgeous-Alexander shot only 3-of-14 on twos, and he forced a number of contested mid-range shots against good Warriors defense. Still, he was an important cog in the Thunder’s offense.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder in assists with seven.

The league leader in steals improved his average against the Warriors as Gilgeous-Alexander tallied three on Thursday night.

Josh Giddey had a solid game against the Warriors but strayed from the playmaking mentality he had against the Spurs. Giddey went 8 of 14 from the floor on his way to 19 points.

After talking about how he was “hellbent” on scoring early in the season, he looked that way again. Giddey had just one assist against the Warriors, marking only the third game of his career without multiple assists.

While his approach differed from what Oklahoma City was looking for, the results were there. Giddey still grabbed six rebounds, and his 19 points were enough to make him the Thunder’s second-leading starter.

Most shockingly, Giddey knocked down three 3-pointers. That marked his season-high after making only four in the first 11 games combined.

While he did not have Stephen Curry to chase around in this matchup with Golden State, Dort made it tough on the other splash brother. Dort harassed Klay Thompson all night, forcing him into a quiet five-point night.

Along with holding Thompson to 1-of-10 shooting, Dort added a steal. His offense was quiet, but he still did enough when he got the ball.

Dort nailed one of his two shots from beyond the arc and added another basket to give him five points.

Jalen Williams’ length gave Chris Paul and other Warriors fits throughout the game. His defense was a bright spot for Oklahoma City, as he finished with two steals.

Williams had a solid night scoring the ball as well. With 16 points, he finished as one of four Thunder players with at least 15 points.

Williams did a solid job of keeping the Thunder’s offense flowing. He helped set his teammates up with five assists on a big night for the Thunder in that category.

Holmgren had moments when he looked like a typical NBA rookie against the Warriors. One of those instances was trying to get the ball inbounded too quickly after a Warriors bucket, leading to a Gary Payton II steal and free throws.

That play was one of Holmgren’s four turnovers. But Holmgren refocused and looked much better after being subbed out a few minutes into the second half.

Holmgren got his fourth double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds. He was one shy of Kevon Looney for the game’s leading rebounder, but he helped the Thunder keep the rebounding battle tight.

As usual, Holmgren showed off his rim protection with two blocks.