Thunder 119, Lakers 110: The Day After Report

Box Score | Play-by-Play

Nuggets & Notes

• The biggest news from this game was that Jalen Williams returned to the lineup. Lacking a true playmaker the past few games, the Oklahoma City Thunder were competitive but ultimately could not pull out wins over the Spurs and Rockets.
• Throughout the first three quarters, Jalen struggled with his shot, going just 3-of-11. Mark Daigneault also seemed to limit Dub's minutes, as the All-NBA star played just 24 minutes.
• In the fourth quarter, however, JDub was the difference between a win and a loss. What was lacking in the last two games (a go-to scorer, release valve, creator), Williams provided in a big way. JDub scored 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Every basket was critical for the Thunder to close out a win.
• Similar to the Rockets game, OKC used a big run in the second quarter to create separation. A burst in the second helped the Thunder build a 14-point lead. But like against Houston, the lead quickly dwindled over the latter part of the second quarter and into the third.
• A sluggish third quarter led to an 8-point lead for the Los Angeles Lakers. I'm sure many Thunder fans were muttering, "Here we go again." But OKC rallied back to pull within 2 entering the fourth, and then Jalen Williams did his thing to give the Thunder a much-needed win.
• While JDub closed it out, it was the bench who put the Thunder in a position to grab the W. Alex Caruso, Jaylin Williams, Isaiah Joe, and Jared McCain combined for 54 points, each one providing a massive spark.
• Caruso was the brightest spark. Alex put on a Caru-show (haha!) scoring 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting (3-4 from three), on top of his regular energy and effort. While Caruso has struggled with his shot all season, he was nearly perfect playing against the team he won his first championship with. Maybe there's a comfort playing in the Crypto.com Arena.
• Isaiah Joe threw flames, especially early. Joe came out and knocked down three triples in the first quarter and ended up with 16 points in the first half on 6-of-7 shooting (4-5 from three). While Joe couldn't replicate his success in the second half, that first half was fun to watch.
• Jaylin Williams has been hot and cold with his three-point shooting this year, but he was hot last night. JWill was 3-of-5 from deep and had no fear taking shots when open.
• And then Jared McCain. McCain wasted no time in scoring 5 quick points in his first action, along with a deep three from above the arc. Offensively, you can see he's an elite shooter, but also that he has a good feel for offensive spacing. I fully expect McCain will get more and more minutes as he learns the offense.
• Now, the knock on McCain is his defense, and when he was in the game, the Lakers went at him. The effort is there, but the Lakers were able to get McCain to commit some fouls and create mismatches.
• On the flip side, the Thunder went at Austin Reaves, especially in the fourth quarter. Both Dub and Chet took advantage of their size and skill to get buckets on Reaves. (Reaves did have a very nice game off the bench.)
• Cason Wallace again contributed offensively in a meaningful way. Not only did Wallace score 12 points, but he also added 6 assists–his 8th game with 6+ assists.
• The Thunder won the rebounding battle 45-37, including 14 offensive boards. Stacking possessions matter.
• Chet Holmgren was a huge part of the rebounding effort, and he had his typical double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds). Now that said, and as I said in the last Day After Report, I want to see Chet get more aggressive offensively. While his handles are not near as secure as SGA's, Chet is a three-level scorer himself, and I can live with some turnovers if it means Holmgren attacks more.
• OKC is now 1-2 with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sidelined.

One Key Takeaway

While this technically isn't an Oklahoma City Blue blog, I wanted to give it up to Nikola Topic. Diagnosed early in the season with testicular cancer, Topic has been out this season receiving treatment. With his treatment now complete, Topic made his G-League debut yesterday, and while his return is an incredible story, the first-round draft pick played exceptionally well in 16 minutes of game action.

On Topic's return, Daigneault said this, "We're all just collectively thrilled that he's back playing basketball. I know he's missed it a great deal, and this is just so good for him mentally to get his feet back underneath him."

We're thrilled, too.