As the decibels reached their peak inside Paycom Center, Collin Gillespie moved in silence.
He was trying to sneak up on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who’d just gathered an inbound pass while OKC held a two-point lead in the closing seconds of an NBA Cup group play game against Phoenix on Friday. And by the time the reigning MVP realized what was happening, it was too late.
Gillespie poked the ball away, drawing a collective gasp from the crowd. And after saving it from going out of bounds, it rolled along the floor. An all-out scramble then ensued, as every player desperately tried to collect it.
But Alex Caruso beat them all to the ball and dished it to Jalen Williams. He then gave it back to its rightful owner, Gilgeous-Alexander, who got fouled and sank a pair of free throws to secure OKC’s 123-119 home win.
“I didn’t see him,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of Gillespie. “I didn’t hear him. Good steal. Thank God that AC (Caruso) got the loose ball and passed it to Dub (Williams). Dub passed it to me. Thanks, Dub. I made two free throws and won the game. Plays like that happen so fast.”
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 37 points and eight assists. The game also marked the season debut of Williams, who finished with 11 points and eight assists.
OKC (19-1) secured its spot in the NBA Cup’s eight-team tournament with the win. It’ll host Phoenix again in the quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 10.
The semifinals and championship game will be played in Las Vegas on Dec. 13 and 16, respectively.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
Order new book on Thunder’s run to NBA title
Lu Dort is thorn in Devin Booker’s side
Devin Booker has spent his entire 11-year NBA career in Phoenix. But he has never met a tougher thorn than Lu Dort, who even puts the cacti of the Sonoran Desert to shame.
Booker did all he could to detach Dort from his side on the Suns’ first possession of the night. He even sprinted to the wing of the 3-point line, where Mark Williams was meant to hand the ball off while simultaneously setting a screen.
But Dort remained stuck, and he ripped the ball away from both Williams and Booker before the handoff could be completed. He then launched a one-man fastbreak, moved Booker out of the way with a shoulder bump and finished a layup.
Dort never stopped pestering Booker, who had to earn his 21 points. He shot 5 for 13 from the field and 2 for 7 from deep in 39 minutes.
Dort has faced Booker 13 times since he joined OKC as a rookie in 2019, including Friday. He has held the four-time All-Star to 5-for-29 shooting from the field (17.2%) and 4-for-20 shooting from deep (20%) in 44 minutes and 12 seconds when guarding him.
OKC caught fire from deep
Jordan Goodwin made sure everyone saw his celebration.
The Suns guard turned both hands into finger guns and fired them repeatedly after sinking a corner 3-pointer by OKC’s bench. He had every reason to be fired up, considering that trimmed the Thunder’s lead to just three points with 5:02 remaining.
But Cason Wallace answered back on the other end by burying a 3-pointer of his own, and his celebration was far more subtle. He simply holstered his right hand into his hip, as Phoenix burned a timeout.
OKC looked like the more composed team from behind the arc all night. It shot 15 for 32 (47%), while Phoenix only shot 15 for 44 (34%).
Jalen Williams, Thunder adjusted on the fly
OKC didn’t just stay composed during its late scramble for the ball. It successfully made multiple adjustments on the fly during its narrow victory.
It integrated Williams, an All-NBA third team and All-Defensive second team forward, to a group with an 18-1 record and an active 10-game winning streak.
Chet Holmgren also took on a different role. He shifted over to center since Isaiah Hartenstein was out with right ankle soreness.
And OKC was even without Ajay Mitchell, the engine to its second unit, for most of the contest. He left the game in the closing seconds of the first quarter with a left knee contusion and did not return.
There were highs and lows during OKC’s adjustment process, but the one constant was its composure.
“It’s obviously not perfect,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “We didn’t expect it to be, and it wasn’t. But it obviously gives us some different looks and things to work on that we’ll have to develop over the course of the season. We’ve learned that you need as much in your toolbox as you can possibly get as you work through the regular season. That’s how you improve. It’s not just about playing well all the time and looking pretty.
“It’s about having to endure different things, overcome different obstacles and work through different challenges. I thought tonight was a good example of that.”
Daigneault was quick to respond when asked if those challenges are a blessing in disguise.
“They’re not in disguise,” Daigneault said. “They’re good for you.”
Tip-ins
- Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in 92 consecutive regular-season games, which is now tied for the second-longest streak in NBA history. He’s tied with Wilt Chamberlain, who also holds the longest streak (126 games).
- Aaron Wiggins missed his 11th straight game due to a left adductor strain. OKC also continued to be without Thomas Sorber and Nikola Topić.
- OKC is just the fifth team in NBA history to win at least 19 games in its first 20 games of a season.
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
Thunder at Trail Blazers
TIPOFF: 5 p.m. Sunday at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon (FanDuel Sports Network)