The Thunder have been getting it going lately as a unit and that didn’t stop tonight at home against Orlando. Together Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chris Paul have given the Thunder the added boost on offense the team needs. Tonight against the Magic they both combined for 44 points on the night. The combination of Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been something Thunder fans have come accustom too. Shai is younger but he’s also very long especially when he’s going to the basket. Some of the layups that Shai made against the Magic came out of nowhere. Shai has all the angles down pack it looks like when he’s laying that ball up off the glass. The thing that was noticeable against the Magic was the fact that he was able to find his own shot whenever he wanted too. You combine the play of Shai with someone like Chris Paul who can teach him and show him the ropes really helps. Chris Paul can lead this team in many ways like scoring and assists but it’s his wisdom in the game that stands out on this team. Chris Paul has been the vocal leader and he’s been able to get everyone involved by being vocal.
Tonight the Magic tried to stop Shai and Chris on the perimeter but it didn’t work out as planned. The Magic placed Aaron Gordon on Shai a lot of switches and they had Markelle Fultz guarding Chris Paul. Those are both mismatches and the Thunder used their two leading guards to show that they have what it takes to go punch for punch with anyone. If Shai and CP3 can continue to play at this elite level with the addition of the play of Steven Adams anything is possible with this team. This was Adam’s first game back int he lineup since his injury and he was able to finish with 11 points and 11 rebounds on the night. This wasn’t the game for Dennis Schröder but his teammates picked up the slack as Danilo Gallinari picked up the scoring for him. Gallinari finished with 16 points on the night and he was looking for his 3 point shot with every chance he got. Gallinari has been aggressive from the perimeter and has made other teams pay whenever given the chance. There was even a point in the game when his shoe came off and he was still defending the possession. It seemed as though everything was going Gallinari’s way tonight and he was a huge part to the Thunder closing out the game tonight against the Magic. The Thunder have been well balanced as a group and showed that tonight against the Magic as they had 5 scorers in double figures.
The Thunder will be taking on the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday in San Antonio and will try to stay in the win column. This will be a great test for them as the Spurs are properly coached and have a lot of talent in the backcourt from DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray. OKC will have to stop them if they want to improve to .500 on the season.
Photo Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
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