Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder roll past Jazz. 'Every win has gotta be earned'
The Thunder wouldn’t overlook the Jazz. It’s been on the other side far too often.
A 15-7 start and second place in the Western Conference standings has brushed over the rough patches of a rebuild and pointed toward the future. Toward hope, toward competence. But Oklahoma City isn’t too far removed from the reality where it was the Jazz. The Trail Blazers, the Hornets.
OK, maybe not as bad as Detroit.
OKC sees pieces of what it used to be in Utah — a now 7-16, 12th place team after the Thunder’s convincing 134-120 Monday night win. It recognizes teams like the Jazz, a squad undergoing a seemingly bleak season, playing for lottery odds and watching teams relax against it.
Call it bullying, call it handling business, or just see it as the team making a necessary leap. The Thunder is now 10-1 this season versus teams below .500, in part from being in those shoes before and knowing the energy — or lack thereof — teams bring when playing teams with poor records.
“We’ve been on both sides, and we know that when you take teams lightly, they’re going to play with a chip on their shoulder,” said forward Aaron Wiggins. “… You gotta understand that every win has gotta be earned.”
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander understood that early. There was his 11-point first quarter. Then a flawless 15-point (6 for 6), three assists, three rebound third quarter that pushed the Thunder’s lead past Will Hardy’s threshold for masterpieces.
He finished with 30 points, seven assists, and a courtside view for the fourth quarter. Beyond SGA, things clicked for a team finding itself, especially on a night where Utah missed Lauri Markkanen, John Collins and Walker Kessler.
The Thunder racked up a season-high 35 assists. It shot 52.1% from the field and 47.4%, even after the end of OKC’s bench allowed Utah to pile on in a forgettable fourth quarter. Its starters did what they were supposed to. Chet Holmgren added 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks; Jalen Williams tallied 15 points in 22 minutes; Josh Giddey fell just two assists shy of a triple double.
There were still signs of a team playing with that chip on its shoulder.
Jazz forward Simone Fontecchio played like his ex-girlfriend was in the building, posting a season-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting and four blocks. Keyonte George played his best game as a rookie, floating layups high enough off the glass to evade Holmgren’s fingers and getting busy in the midrange to post a career-high 30 points and seven assists.
Games like Monday’s won’t come without their share of box score confusion. OKC just won’t ever be confused about the way it enters those kinds of games.
“We don’t play the record,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “There’s 29 teams in the NBA that are really good and can beat anybody on any night. That’s how we approach it.”
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Blue run pays off for Dieng
Ousmane Dieng has been tasked with one of the toughest gigs for a young player: Bounce between the NBA and the G League while still expected to provide rotational minutes when called upon.
On Monday, his stint with the OKC Blue seemed to pay off.
The sophomore went for 18 points, three rebounds and three assists, shooting 6 for 7 overall and 3 for 4 from deep. He found himself in the right places as a roller. He drilled his open shots. His feel and practicality all seemed to shift — albeit against the Jazz — since his stint in the G.
"I think it validates the time he spent in the G League,” coach Mark Daigneault said. “He’s a better player. He came obviously very sharp in the minutes he played.”
In seven games with the Blue this season, Dieng has averaged 16.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 15 shot attempts. A lot of volume, plenty of mistakes to work through, and just enough run to try to figure things out if he got the nod with the Thunder.
“It gave me confidence and some minutes,” Dieng said of his time with the Blue, “and they wanted me to play like I play here with the Blue. Today I got to show the progress I made.”
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Wallace’s World
His jersey could be seen in the front row at Paycom Center on Monday, his name the first announced in the starting lineup.
Cason Wallace has been the first guy tapped when the Thunder sees an absence — this time Lu Dort with a left ankle sprain — and he’s hardly looked out of place.
In just his fifth career start, the rookie posted 10 points, three rebounds, two blocks and multiple quarters full of hell for Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson.
Clarkson, who played 22 mins, finished with just eight points on 3-for-13 shooting.
Wallace has been timely. His defensive stances have led to runs. Still leading the league in 3-point efficiency while shooting 52.1%, he seemingly always knocks down shots when the opportunity comes.
The former Kentucky guard has essentially become OKC’s safest best to fill any holes in the starting lineup. He’s sound, seems to make fewer mistakes than his rookie peers and has made fans shake their heads at how well he’s played his role.
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Thunder tip-ins
Holmgren entered Monday’s game having gone 2 for 17 from 3 in his past four games. He went 2 for 3 against the Jazz. Asked what he’s learned about the sustainability of shooting in the NBA, Holmgren expressed his understanding of variance. “Just understanding you’re not gonna make every shot,” Holmgren said. “Steph (Curry) misses shots. Dame (Lillard) misses shots. Everybody who’s one of the greatest shooters in the NBA misses shots. So you can’t let that affect the next shot. You can’t make a missed shot lead into a bad shot. Taking a bad shot isn’t gonna help you find your rhythm.”
Monday marked SGA’s ninth game with at least three steals. His 2.8 steals per game still leads the league, as does his total of 55 steals. Scottie Barnes is second with 38 steals.
With Monday’s loss, the Jazz is 6-22 at the Paycom Center in regular season games. It’s the worst record among any visiting NBA team at the PC.
Thunder vs. Kings
TIPOFF: 9 p.m. Thursday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif. (Bally Sports Oklahoma)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 30, leads OKC Thunder past Utah Jazz
