Thunder vs Raptors recap: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 23 points as OKC topples Toronto
TORONTO — Jontay Porter hadn’t even collected himself after his turnover when Jalen Williams rushed to make him pay. Just 30 seconds into Friday’s second quarter, Williams rushed toward the baseline, forcing the ball into the official’s hand. With Toronto’s defense yet to be set, Williams hurried the play so that it found a streaking Aaron Wiggins.
Williams’ energy — and the liveliness of OKC's five-man lineup he was part of to begin the quarter — set things off in the Thunder’s 123-103 win in Toronto. The Raptors, like Porter, hardly found time to realize what hit them.
It was the Raptors, after all, who played the Thunder’s game through the first 12 minutes. Nine fastbreak points to OKC’s two, less turnovers than OKC. It made for all sorts of slippage. Mismatches, crossmatching. The Raptors toyed with OKC on high-low passes and backdoors.
It was Williams and the four he took the floor with — Cason Wallace, Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren and Wiggins — who set the tone for what OKC should look like. Even in an imperfect game with flaws and sloppiness and forced shots, that group encapsulated what the team hoped to do.
It generated its own fastbreaks, forcing eight turnovers (the Thunder didn’t force any less than seven in a quarter after the first). Williams flew to the rim the way his youthful legs and vibrant energy allowed en route to an efficient 20 points (9 for 13). OKC eventually forced 27 turnovers, Toronto’s season high.
Any clumsiness, any poorly-executed plays were seemingly passed on to Toronto by the change of the clock. The Raptors found themselves on the most sour episode of Oprah yet.
You get a turnover, you get a turnover. Eight Raptors with at least two, and far more than the Thunder needed for separation and a win.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's welcome home
Toronto sure knows how to make Shai Gilgeous-Alexander feel at home.
After the game, he waded through a sea of family, friends and fans. Nearly every set of eyes tracked him, each set of hands reaching out to him. Before the game, his introduction summoned a roar.
The Raptors have grown to give him warm welcomes, too. With bumps and bruises, with doubles and crowds. Toronto would die before it saw SGA operate at the same monotonous scoring clip he has all season. Its deathbed was cold.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, plus a season-high six turnovers. Toronto at least accomplished one thing: It spared itself from being part of the wide list of teams SGA has scored 30 against this season.
It sank his chance of matching James Harden’s feat of scoring 30 against every NBA team in a single season. His only two remaining targets were the Bucks and Raptors.
Toronto might take solace in the idea that it’s limited him in a way most teams haven’t. It forced a third quarter full of what felt like, at times, forced shots. It crowded him into six turnovers. It kept him from his usual scoring output. But at what cost?
Gilgeous-Alexander remained the hometown hero in the end.
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Kenrich Williams' joy
Not unlike some of OKC’s other reserves, Kenrich Williams has starred in his role in necessary moments.
Friday was one of those nights.
When the Raptors ran circles around OKC in the first quarter, Mark Daigneault tapped on Kenrich’s shoulder. He remains one of the young Thunder’s elder statesmen by default, but there was a vibrant energy about him that felt like he turned back the clock.
“You see the interviews,” he said postgame. “The youthfulness, the swagger these guys got. It kind of rubs off on you. Not only me, but the whole team.”
He finished with 12 points, five rebounds and four of the Thunder’s 17 steals. He pitched into the physicality that OKC missed in the game’s early moments. He moved with pace. He was efficient.
Kenrich hardly wasted any motion, fitting into place as Friday’s key cog. And even as a 29-year-old on a team full of chronically online TikTokers, he’s hardly felt out of place.
“Being around these guys every day, they keep me joyful,” Kenrich said. “They make the game fun. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.”
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Where is OKC Thunder in NBA playoff race?
Entering play Friday night, the Thunder and Nuggets were virtually tied atop the Western Conference, but OKC won the season series to earn the tiebreaker with Denver.
Thunder (49-20): Beat Raptors on Friday night. Up next: At Bucks on Sunday.
Nuggets (49-21): Off Friday. Up next: At Trail Blazers on Saturday.
Timberwolves (47-22): Hosting Cavaliers on Friday night.
Clippers (43-25): At Trail Blazers on Friday night.
Pelicans (42-27): At Heat on Friday night.
Mavericks (41-29): Off on Friday night. Up next: At Jazz on Monday.
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Up next: Thunder vs Bucks
TIPOFF: 6 p.m. Sunday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee (Bally Sports Oklahoma)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder vs Raptors: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads OKC past Toronto
