The Thunder have been in all of the games that they’ve played this season and it didn’t stop tonight. Coming into this game against the Pelicans they knew they would have to limit turnovers and get back to the ball movement. This was the most complete offensive attack that the Thunder put out tonight as it seemed as though no one on the Pelicans could stop it. One of the bright spots for the Thunder was the fact that Darius Bazley was able to display some of the confidence that his coaches and teammates talk about all the time. Bazley was able to notch his career-high in points tonight against the Pelicans as he was able to beat them inside and outside. Bazley finished with 17 points on the night and 3/6 from the 3 point line. Darius Bazley has a lot of raw potential that has yet to be tapped into this season and if he continues at this rate anything is possible for him. Bazley has developed into a true slasher and has got better on the defensive end as it seems as though the rookie has no jitters at all. Another player that has been able to take his game to another level has been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This season SGA has made a huge jump in points as he’s averaging 10 points more per game this season than last season in LA. Coming to OKC has helped his game and he’s been able to have the green light and not slow down at all. The Pelicans tried to stop Shai with Jrue Holiday on the defensive end and it was a clear mismatch. Shai finished the game with 23 points and has shown everyone in the NBA that he’s a bonafide scorer and someone that teams will need to gameplan on. When Shai gets the angle to get to the rim he’s bound to make a beautiful finish at the rim or he’s going to get his teammates involved.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had 6 players in double figures tonight against the Pelicans who couldn’t stop them on defense. The Thunder played without Steven Adams for the second straight game and for the second straight game Nerlens Noel has stepped up. The defense that Nerlens has brought to the table has helped jumpstart the offense in fastbreaks as well. The player that has been consistently helping the Thunder on that second unit has been Dennis Schröder who finished this game with 17 points. Dennis has been one of those players that have been changing the game with his energy and his play. Dennis knows where his teammates are going to be and he also knows when to get his offense going as well. His play has been a huge help to the Thunder as it looks like they have the Dennis Schröder from Atlanta in OKC. The game really changed in a great way for the Thunder when they had the 3 guard lineup of Paul, Alexander, and Schröder. When the Thunder have those three on the court at the same time it seems to be a really good decision for the team. Those three will have to lead the Thunder all season and with the team beating the Pelicans to get their 2nd win on the season anything is possible moving forward.
The Pelicans were able to keep the game close against the Thunder but they didn’t have Brandon Ingram to finish the game. Ingram looked like he was on his way to having one of those good games that we’ve seen from him recently until his head injury. Once Ingram went out the game the Pelicans were leaning on Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart to get it done. All three of them combined for 38 points on the night but it wasn’t enough to get over the hump against the Thunder. Jahlil Okafor did play really well tonight as he added 15 points but he had some turnovers and fouls that didn’t help the case for them winning. This Pelicans team has a lot of potential and they will be a force to be reckoned with when Zion Williamson comes back from his knee injury. The Pelicans fell short against the Thunder tonight and now OKC will try to get another win against the Magic as they come to town on Tuesday night.
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