On Wednesday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder picked up their 11th win in 16 games, not only defeating the Indiana Pacers by 20 points, but also breaking the record. The Thunder collected a franchise-best 41 assists on 47 shots for a 126-106 victory.
The game began with a Thunder offense that built a 34-15 lead before the Pacers, led by their freshman Andrew Nembhard, battled back in the second frame to cut the deficit to just four points before finding their way again. trailing, 58-44, at halftime.
The third frame proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Indiana as the Thunder enjoyed a 42-point quarter on 17-of-25 shooting, including three 3-pointers, forcing the Pacers to give up white and bench their starters for the rest of the game.
Here are your top performers on the Thunder’s historic night.
Luguentz Dort
After struggling most of the season with his shooting, and especially his finishing shots, Dort looked like a different player, scoring an efficient 22 points in just 28 minutes, knocking down 8 of 14 shots, including three 3-pointers. And his 10 points in the second frame kept the Thunder’s offense surging amid the Pacers’ comeback effort.
Dort also finished with 11 rebounds, posting his second career double-double performance.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The soon-to-be All-Star guard again set the tone early, dropping a team-high 10 points in the first quarter while getting to the line seven times. Thanks to a little help from his friends, Gilgeous-Alexander was able to play just under 30 minutes, six less than his usual workload, and finished the night with a game-high 23 points, six assists and three steals.
Josh Giddey
In another big performance for the rising sophomore, the Australian passing wizard tore apart the Pacers defense with his mix of layups, layups and layups en route to 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 11 assists in just under 30 minutes.
Giddey’s five turnovers were the result of forcing issues too much at times, but he still got the job done before fouling out late in the fourth.
Jalen Williams
The new wing played a well-rounded game, scoring 11 points with six rebounds and six assists while committing just one turnover. His nine points in nine minutes in the third quarter were second only to Gilgeous-Alexander as he helped put the game out of reach. Williams’ perimeter defense was also instrumental in the Thunder’s ability to block the Pacers’ skilled guards, as evidenced by his four steals and one block.
Kenrich Williams
While the fifth-year veteran played just 22 minutes, he made the most of his time on the court as the Thunder’s starting center, recording 12 points on eight shots, making two of four 3-pointers and notching two blocks and a steal. Surprisingly, Williams also recorded a career-high 10 assists with just one turnover.
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