9/7/2023 0 Comments Doncic stats tonightThe second-quarter finish showed the Thunder what it’s been missing. Jalen Williams, wearing a clear plastic mask, sliced to the bucket and scored an and-1. More: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder beat Clippers for first win of season: 5 takeaways Jalen Williams returns “They’re free throws,” he said, trying to avoid a jinx. Kevin Durant (52) holds the Thunder record for consecutive made free throws. Gilgeous-Alexander went 8-of-8 from the free throw line, bringing his season mark to a perfect 30-of-30. “A lot of easy stuff around the rim, defensive assignments.” “I’m still missing more than I like as crazy as it sounds,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. He had nine assists and six rebounds, and the Thunder outscored the Mavs by 20 points when SGA was on the court. SGA scored a season-high 38 points on stellar 15-of-27 shooting. “You can start to take it for granted because he’s doing it almost every night,” Daigneault said. Big nights are expected of him, and Gilgeous-Alexander has delivered time and again. Mark Daigneault was six minutes into his postgame press conference before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s name was mentioned. More: OKC Thunder: A dive into the numbers of Lu Dort's early-season shooting slump “I don’t know, man,” said Dort, cracking his neck.Īfter the game, Doncic called Dort a "top-three defender in the NBA." “He does the job,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of Dort, “and he did it tonight.”ĭort was asked how many screens he had to navigate against Doncic and the pick-and-roll happy Mavericks. “We’re not doubling (Doncic) at the end of the game because you have a guy like Lu Dort guarding him.”ĭort was a plus-23. “There’s not a lot of teams that can line up the coverages that we line up,” Daigneault said. Darius Bazley, who had a wicked block on a Doncic dunk attempt, also hung tough. It was a brawl befitting a fall Saturday. The Mavericks were 8-of-40 and the Thunder was 5-of-25.Īlmost half of Doncic’s points came from the free throw line, where he was 15-of-19.ĭort bodied and bothered Doncic to no end. He was 0-of-6 from behind the arc.īoth teams shot just 20% from 3-point range. A dominant performance on paper, but one that looked physically taxing and frustrating in person.ĭoncic shot just 8-of-23 from the field. Luka Doncic had 31 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. More: Tramel: OKC Thunder is always looking for an edge when it comes to substitutions Making Luka Doncic work “It’s definitely up there,” he said, cracking a smile. Joe was asked if this was the best moment of his basketball career. Joe had played all of seven minutes this season before Saturday. “The first day he came to practice, me and him shot a bit,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. Joe, a 24-year-old former Razorback from Fort Smith, Arkansas, signed with the Thunder just before the start of the season after getting waived by the 76ers. “He didn’t take a shot for damn near two hours.” It was a performance too unbelievable to make up. Joe finished with 15 points on 4-of-4 shooting. The Thunder outscored the Mavericks by 24 points in those nine minutes. Joe, the last man to make the roster, played nine minutes. Clippers: Five takeaways from OKC's win against Los Angeles “There was a lot of luck that went into the comeback,” Daigneault said, “but I don’t think the overtime was lucky … I was very impressed with the poise we showed at the beginning of overtime, getting ourselves back on track, not getting overly jumpy or anything like that.” And just for fun, Joe drilled another triple with 1:12 left. Joe hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:25 left in overtime. Garbage time had turned to crunch time, but Joe stayed in. Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic, hounded all night by Thunder guard Lu Dort, missed a game-winning attempt at the buzzer, and the game went to overtime.Īccording to ESPN Stats & Info, NBA teams were 9,975-1 when leading by at least 16 points in the final four minutes in the last 25 years. “I saw him open, and I knew right away it was a good look for him,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. More: OKC Thunder asked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 'set tone' defensively. Joe and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had the assist, bumped chests and howled as Dallas called timeout. It capped a 20-4 Thunder run in a game that had already been put to bed. “Him having that trust in me, and me just being ready, I was able to go in there and give my team a good lift,” Joe said.įive minutes later, Joe buried a 3-pointer to tie the game 99-99. “I wanted to try another guy,” Daigneault said of calling on Joe. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault doesn’t like the term “garbage time,” but it was nearing that hour. Joe checked in, for the first time, with 4:53 left in the fourth quarter. That’s how the Thunder’s 117-111 win Saturday night in Dallas shall be remembered. Watch Video: Luguentz Dort talks about his role in helping the Thunder.
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