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OKC Thunder, minus Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, falls short in OT to Jalen Green, Rockets
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- OKC Thunder, minus Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, falls short in OT to Jalen Green, Rockets
Jalen Green danced in front of Jalen Williams before planting his foot for a stepback 3-pointer.
Green then turned to give Williams a pat on the behind as the ball simultaneously swished through the net before strutting back on defense. The bucket at the top of the third quarter signaled a dominant night from Green was on the horizon.
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The performance was nothing short of spectacular. Green flirted with a triple-double to record 37 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Rockets in their 132-126 overtime victory over the Thunder on Wednesday.
Contested pull-up 3-pointers in transition, leaning jumpers across the lane, filthy acrobatic finishes at the cup — Green got to his beloved spots on the hardwood with ease despite OKC throwing a myriad of defenders his way.
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Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) celebrates after getting fouled and making a basket during Houston's 132-126 overtime win against the Thunder on Wednesday at Paycom Center.
The third-year Rockets guard has produced a compelling case to warrant consideration for Western Conference Player of the Month honors. In March, Green is averaging 28.5 points on 50% shooting from the field and nearly 43% from the 3-point line while, Houston is 12-1 in that span.
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"You can't score 132 points on shot-making alone — there's got to be some bleeding in there, and there was," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.
"There was high-level shot-making some plays, but there were other plays where we had breakdowns, and stuff we could learn from. Every night, there's a combination of things you can control and things you can't — and we want to be a team that looks at the stuff we can control."
The depleted Thunder managed to keep matters close without the help of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , who sat out the second night of a back-to-back while nursing a right quad contusion.
OKC also received limited minutes from Chet Holmgren , who fouled out for the first time in his career with eight minutes to spare in the fourth quarter. His night concluded with just two points without converting a shot from the field.
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More: How did OKC Thunder coach Mark Daigneault handle praise from LeBron James, JJ Redick?
Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) and Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) celebrate beside Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (3) during an NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, March 27, 2024. Houston won 132-126.
Houston jumped out to a 15-2 start behind a handful of swift, soaring finishes at the rim from rookie Amen Thompson , who ended the night with a career-high of 25 points and 15 rebounds. OKC responded with a second quarter rally on the coattails of Isaiah Joe and a Thunder season-high of 11 points from Gordon Hayward .
Green scored 27 of his game-high 37 points in the second half. Yet Josh Giddey and Jalen Willaims managed to keep OKC afloat. Giddey erupted to tie his career-high of 31 points, while Williams aided his efforts with 23 points and 10 assists.
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Late free throws from Thompson gave the Rockets a three-point lead before Williams drained a game-tying 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds remaining in regulation.
In the end, OKC had no answer for Jalen Green . Blitzes from the Thunder defense opened up clean looks for Dillon Brooks and Jabari Smith Jr. , who each nailed much-needed shots from beyond the arc in overtime to keep the Rockets ahead.
The game's dagger came with a minute to go as a twirling layup from Green catapulted Houston to its 10th consecutive win.
With the loss, the Thunder fell to the third seed in the Western Conference standings but just a half-game behind the Denver Nuggets for the No. 1 seed.
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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (3) celebrates after getting fouled and making a basket during an NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, March 27, 2024. Houston won 132-126.
Josh Giddey erupts to tie career-high in loss
While March has been the finest month of Jalen Green's career, it has also been exceptionally good for Josh Giddey.
Giddey saved his best performance of the season for Wednesday's overtime loss, matching his career-high of 31 points while recording seven rebounds and four assists. The rare scoring outburst added to a dominant month for the third-year guard.
"It's a good time to hit this stride going into the back end of the year," Giddey said. Every player will go through highs and lows throughout the season. The work behind closed doors always comes to light."
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In March, Giddey is averaging 15.7 points while shooting over 55% from the field and 40% beyond the 3-point line.
The 31-point performance comes a full year shy of Giddey setting a career-high of 31 points against the Charlotte Hornets . It also follows a win over the New Orleans Pelicans , where his 25 points played a crucial role in the victory — albeit alongside the presence of Gilgeous-Alexander.
Giddey exuded his skyrocketing confidence late in the fourth quarter after slipping while maneuvering an unsuccessful behind-the-back crossover. After diving on the floor to recover the loose ball from Jalen Green, he stayed down on the hardwood and
To the buzzing Thunder crowd's surprise, Giddey's questionable shot selection resulted in a go-ahead bucket.
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"I was kind of just taking what the defense was giving me," Giddey said.
"We've seen a bunch of different looks, and teams have thrown their best defensive lineups at us. They're trying to cross-match, blitz and play all different types of coverages. We're adjusting to different looks as a team, so tonight, I was trying to make the right play."
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Thunder tip-ins
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Isaiah Joe's left-handed poster dunk over Jeff Green jogged old memories of running track and field in middle school: "That's probably my best dunk ever," Joe said. "It kind of all started when I was younger. I learned then that I jumped higher off of my right leg, so in doing so I just started dunking left-handed. I ran track in middle school, so when we were trying out they made us do the long jump with both legs. And that's kind of when I figured out I jumped farther with my right leg. Ever since then I've just tried to build off that."
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Daigneault declared Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as "day-to-day" after missing Wednesday's matchup: "I knew (Shai) was gonna be out this morning," Daigneault said. "I haven't really checked in on his progress, but it's a quad contusion, something that will get better hopefully with treatment and rest. We'll just see how he responds day by day, but certainly he has been quite a bit of discomfort for a couple of games now. So it should be a good opportunity for him to get some strength back there and to get some pop back."
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Joe has fully embraced being the spark plug in spurts off the bench: "Aside from just the three point shooting, he gives us a lot," Giddey said when highlighting Joe's 17-point night. "We have full confidence in him whether he makes 10 in a row or misses 10 in a row. He continues to bring energy off the bench and plays his role to perfection — he's a big piece in what we're doing here." Said Joe: "I think it just starts with being focused while on the bench. Being tuned in to every timeout and being aware of what's going on on the court at all times regarding foul count and timeouts left. I think if you focus on the bench it'll be easier once you step on the court and it's worked for me."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder, minus Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, falls in OT vs Rockets
