The Thunder lost their third straight game on Sunday. Despite the loss, there were several bright spots. Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander both showed out while some other players on the roster struggled. Many players on the team are vying for minutes right now but it’s just hard to come by. Here are the game logs for some of the players.
Giddey had the best game of his young and exciting career. He put up 19 points (8/13 shooting, 1/2 threes, 2/3 free throws), eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals. To make it even better efficiency-wise, he only turned the rock over twice. He needed this game to get him going, especially against a contending team like the 76ers. Giddey will be given the opportunity to be the main ball-handler on his team and if he can keep putting up games like this, watch out. His future is looking very bright at the moment.
Alexander had one of his patented stellar games against Philly on Sunday. He put up 29 points, six boards, eight assists, one steal and one block. The shooting splits were okay, as he shot 9/19 from the field and 1/6 from 3-point land. He did go 10/12 from the line so that shows his aggression and his ability to draw fouls. Alexander also finished with just two turnovers so overall, his performance was excellent. Expect Alexander to be a top dog on his team the rest of the way.
Dort had a couple of highlight defensive plays, especially on Furkan Korkmaz. Besides the defensive plays, he was decent on offense, finishing with 13 points on 5/11 shooting, 1/6 threes and 2/2 from the line. His final line was rounded out with four rebounds, three assists and one steal. The final line wasn’t that impressive but he still showed why he’s a top defensive talent in this league. If he can improve his offensive game further, he can be a true superstar in the making. He needs to improve his ball-handling, playmaking and shot-creation in order to get there but it’s definitely doable. Expect to see him in many more highlight reels this year on the defensive end.
Earl hasn’t gotten a whole lot of time out there, but he hasn’t really exceeded expectations when he was out there. He finished this game with a meager five points, four rebounds and one three. He managed to round out his line with two turnovers and nothing else. Much like his first couple games, he wasn’t really utilized in the second unit. Not playing a lot doesn’t help his case either as he’s not able to showcase what he’s capable of. Hopefully, he gets a bigger chance sometime in the future. Once Derrick Favors and Mike Muscala get traded (maybe?), he can possibly get a bigger role in the offense. It’s just a matter of time until he gets a bigger shot on this rebuilding squad.
Poku managed to play just seven minutes and put up just four points, one rebound, one assist and one block. The man is just not getting a chance to play this year. Coach Mark Daigneault is oddly going with Favors, Muscala and Kenrich Williams instead of his young guys, so minutes are very tight in the frontcourt. Hopefully, this changes soon because Poku is oozing with potential.
