Following a last-second loss to the Houston Rockets last week, the OKC Thunder bounced back in a big way Tuesday night in what wound up being an advancement-clinching victory in the Emirates Cup 2024.
Fresh off a four-game road trip, Oklahoma City played host to the cellar-dwelling Utah Jazz who, despite their best efforts and high-end energy, departed from the Group Stage finale with their fourth loss of the tournament and, in turn, were eliminated from further contention.
A true get-right game after a depleting loss to their direct conference rival this past Sunday, thanks to their superb shooting, tenacious defense, and all-out, two-way hustle as a collective coach Mark Daigneault was able to pull his core starters early on in the fourth period as the Thunder coasted to a commanding 133-106 victory.
Though this win was certainly a result of high-end production from stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, as the duo were directly responsible for 83 total points when accounting for points and assists, alongside them were several standout performances that deserve to be highlighted.
Unsung heroes from Emirates NBA Cup advancing win for Thunder
Isaiah Hartenstein
With every passing game, Isaiah Hartenstein manages to prove again and again why he was worth every penny earned from his three-year, $87 million contract signed this past summer.
Though he may not have poured in a double-digit scoring feat or blocked numerous shots like Thunder fans have grown accustomed to seeing, his performance on the night was a prime example of why he's such a special player, as he was involved in virtually every facet of Tuesday's exhibition.
While his shot may not have fallen (went 2-for-7 from the field), like any selfless player, the big man opted to focus the bulk of his efforts on getting his teammates open looks and playing standout defense.
In turn, throughout his 22 minutes of action, Hartenstein finished with a wide-spread stat line of 4 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block as well as a +14 in the plus-minus department.
He may not have been the scoring threat some speculated he could be upon coming into the matchup, but I-Hart was undoubtedly one of the driving forces in Oklahoma City's beatdown over Utah.
Kenrich Williams
When Isaiah Hartenstein would sit during the contest, 6-foot-6 Kenrich Williams subbed him out and took on the role of quasi-big man for the Thunder.
Despite his clear height disadvantage when facing off against Utah's towering assortment of bigs like Lauri Markkanen (6-foot-11) and Walker Kessler (7-foot), the veteran managed to hold his own on both ends of the ball.
Similar to I-Hart, the bulk of Williams's impact efforts on the night weren't necessarily jump-off the stat sheet metrics. However, it was his two-way energy and overall drive that made him stand out against the Jazz.
On top of keeping his much larger defensive assignments out of rhythm and away from the paint thanks to his sturdy defense (he even drew a charge early in the contest that halted subtle momentum from Utah), the 30-year-old was an absolute beast in the second-chance opportunity department.
In his 13 minutes of play, Williams would pull down 4 of his 5 total rebounds on the offensive end, all of which directly led to scoring plays (11 points generated, to be exact).
Even though his personal 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist box score may not scream "game changer," it's what he did with his intense motor that makes him a beloved member of this Thunder squad.
They don't call him Kenny Hustle for nothing!
Isaiah Joe
After two straight dud performances where he accumulated just 3 points on a putrid 1-for-9 shooting, Isaiah Joe came back to life in a big way against the Utah Jazz.
Setting his season high with 19 points on 63.6 percent shooting and 55.6 percent shooting from deep, the wing was a true spark plug off the pine for the Thunder and made his presence felt early on in the contest by rattling off 8 quick points in his first five minutes played.
Presenting what seemed to be a resurgence in on-court confidence, Joe was in attack mode all night long, dipping deep into his bag of tricks as both a finisher at the rim and a spot-up shooter beyond the arc.
After his disastrous zero-point performance in 13 minutes against the Rockets on Sunday, this showing was an encouraging sight to see from the fan-favorite.
Cason Wallace
For the vast majority of this year's campaign, Cason Wallace has been suffering from a rather startling sophomore slump.
Compared to his rookie season, the former lottery pick has regressed in several key areas of play, with perhaps the most noteworthy slide coming in the shooting department, as he's plummeted from splits of 49.1 percent from the floor and 41.9 percent from deep to 41.7 percent and 28.3 percent, respectively.
Tuesday night, Wallace finally seemed to show signs of progress on these fronts, as it served as his second consecutive positive outing from an efficiency perspective.
Once again inserted into the starting unit, the two-guard would go on to drop 12 points and 4 assists while going 5-for-9 from the field.
What's more encouraging is that Wallace posted these points in several different manners, making his presence felt from distance, at the rim, and on the break (some of which were initiated by his own defensive excellence).
The hope now is that he can find a way to keep up this level of play.