Thunder guard Josh Giddey talks offensive surge following huge night vs Pelicans
By Mark Nilon
After a gut-punch blowout loss to the Milwaukee Bucks last Sunday, the OKC Thunder managed to bounce back in their latest bout against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Fighting through all four quarters of action and, ultimately, thwarting a late comeback attempt from Zion Williamson and company, with a final score reading 119-112, Mark Daigneault's squad went on to claim win number 50 on the year, marking just the sixth time they've managed to do so since migrating to the 38103.
While it took a full team effort for Oklahoma City to power through such a challenging game against a top-flight opponent, arguably the driving force in the club's triumph was third-year guard Josh Giddey, who managed to see his recent scoring excellence flow right along into Tuesday's outing.
Though his shooting woes have been well documented during the season, throughout the month of March the 21-year-old has seemingly found his rhythm as he's been cashing in on 55.2 percent of his attempts from the floor and 42.9 percent of his attempts from distance over a 12-game stretch.
This type of efficiency took center stage against the Pelicans, as he cashed in on 10 of his 14 shot attempts (71.4 percent) and 5 of his 8 shots from deep (62.5 percent) while knocking down a clutch trey mid-way through the fourth period to throw cold water on NOLA's 31-14 run and, in turn, take back the lead (107-105).
Following yet another strong performance, Giddey was asked by Bally Sports' Nick Gallo about his recent offensive surge, specifically inquiring about "what's working for you." In response, the guard highlighted his mental fortitude but, more notably, heaped praise upon his teammates' support throughout his highs and lows.
Thunder guard Josh Giddey addresses his recent offensive surge
"Staying confident. My guys trust in my, [my] coaches trust in me so just shooting the ball with confidence and it's going in."
- Josh Giddey
One of Giddey's strongest performances on the year, the Thunder stud went on to post an impressive stat line of 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in 30 minutes of action while wrapping up with a +9 plus/minus, the third-highest mark on the night.
Heading into the second night of a back-to-back against a hungry Houston Rockets team, the hope is that he can continue his electrifying play as OKC looks to continue adding games to the win column.