1 stud, 1 dud from Thunder’s astounding Game 1 win over Mavericks

Dud: Josh Giddey

Like some of the games versus the Mavericks in the regular season, Josh Giddey was neutralized once more in Game 1. 

The Mavericks’ defense was too much for the third-year point guard, forcing head coach Mark Daigneualt to hold his minutes to just 17, less than half of the playing time the starters saw on the night.

In his limited play, Giddey only recorded two points on 1-of-4 shooting with five rebounds and two assists. 

In the 17 minutes he did see run on the hardwood, the 21-year-old looked like a shell of his first-round self to start off the series. Despite efforts to push the pace to start the game, Giddey was repeatedly read by the defense, putting him on a rough start and he never recovered from it.

His lack of shooting touch in Game 1 did not help either. He had two fairly wide-open three-point attempts that missed, which signaled a cold night for the inconsistent shooter.  

Giddey would be crucial in the Thunder’s hopes of reaching their first Western Conference
Finals since 2016. The former sixth-overall pick will need to step up whenever necessary on stretches to lift the early minutes he usually plays for the team.

At the end of the day, Giddey is a starter, and he needs to play like one.