Nuggets and Notes
A couple weeks ago, the Blazers handed the Thunder their only loss of the season. Oklahoma City was on the second night of a road back to back, without Jalen Williams, and lost by two points.
Turns out, OKC is actually quite a bit better than Portland. Still no JDub, but they buried the Blazers on their home court, going up 39-18 in the first quarter and never looking back.
SGA led the way (more on that later) to 17-1, pushing the Thunder further up the standings while pushing their offensive (third in the league and rising) and defensive efficiency (first in the league and becoming more historic) to even greater heights.
Ajay Mitchell was a perfect 8-8, contributing 20 points, 5 assists and 2 steals in 24 minutes.
Pinch me: the Thunder have not one, but two efficient point guards in the rotation.
Chet Holmgren has cooled off the last two games, scoring 5 points tonight and just 11 against the Jazz. Over the last three contests, he's only made one three-pointer.
But Chet has 7 blocks over that span, helping OKC win by 24.3 points while choking the life out of the opposing offenses. I'll take it.
One Key Takeaway
Shai. What can I say? 37 points, 7 dimes, 5 boards and 2 steals in three quarters.
Actually, I know what I can say: SGA is better than Nikola Jokic.
He's a two-way phenom leading one of the youngest rosters to ever win a title, let alone dominate the NBA like this. We have made the mistake of underestimating Shai's greatness pretty much every season he's been in Oklahoma City, along with everyone else who follows the league. SGA has the kind of drive, talent, and yes, complementary roster (thanks in no small part to his commitment to the franchise) that is the stuff of legends. He's not racing Jokic for more MVPs; he's chasing all-timers like Kobe, Duncan, and Bird for more titles.