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Rockets force uncharacteristic OKC offensive night, hand Thunder third road loss
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- Rockets force uncharacteristic OKC offensive night, hand Thunder third road loss
As Wednesday's fourth quarter dwindled, Kenrich Williams ' steps stuttered to a stop in anticipation for a routine pass. Rookie Cason Wallace 's feet accelerated for the ball, which he thought was meant for him.
Neither grabbed it before it continued its journey out of bounds. With the way Oklahoma City's 110-101 loss in Houston unfolded , it wasn't an entirely shocking sequence. Houston 's defensive presence — and the Thunder's lack of any presence — saw OKC fall out character much earlier.
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Many have questioned the sustainability of the Thunder's videogame-esque shooting start. Wallace atop the league's most efficient 3-point shooters, Chet Holmgren hardly breaking a sweat as one of the NBA's better shotmaking big men, the team entering Wednesday shooting a league-best 40.2%.
More: OKC Thunder mailbag: Should Vasilije Micic play more with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on bench?
Dec 6, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and forward Kenrich Williams (34) in the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Reality would eventually come knocking. It blew the Thunder's door off the hinges in Houston. By the end of the night, it made just 8 of its 29 3s, shooting just 2 for 14 from deep at halftime.
The lone two makes? Courtesy of Josh Giddey , who the Rockets tasked Alpheren Sengun with helping off of to erase any semblance of spacing OKC had to begin the game.
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Houston seemingly missed its Las Vegas invitation from the In-Season Tournament semifinalists — It watched LeBron James make a claim at team ownership and Adam Silver's genius while it was left to bet big from the crib.
The Rockets bet that Giddey wouldn't shoot them out of the game. They gambled away from shooters to fill gaps and built a wall against one of the league's most frequent driving teams. They bet that the Thunder would second guess the rare advantages it found. And they won.
The OKC never quite caught the rhythm it needed to push back. Short bursts just kept things relatively close. A stint from Wallace, who finished with five points and two steals as a +12. A continuous breath of life from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , who posted 33 points, six assists and six steals.
After entering the night with a 102.1 defensive rating at home, the second-best mark in the NBA, the Rockets formed a defensive headlock to keep OKC at bay. It might've been the nights from its unusual heroes that finished the Thunder off, though.
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Like Aaron Holiday , who neared a career-high with 22 points (6 for 7 on 3-pointers) and helped the Rockets connect on 45.5% of their 3s. Or Dillon Brooks , who's had a stellar shooting year to offset his reputation and added an efficient 23 points Wednesday.
Wallace and Kenrich Williams' slip-up didn't exactly evoke gasps by the end of it all.
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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots past Houston Rockets guard Aaron Holiday (0) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
Starting unit leaves SGA on ice
If you don't know it by now, Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA's Chicken Little.
Even if the sky was falling, the star guard would remain who he is.
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The braids and headband will be there, as will the maniacal change of pace and on-court audacity. And on Wednesday, it was glaring; SGA was so much of himself — the high-scoring, effortless star that floats even between the tightest defenses — that the remainder of the starting unit stuck out.
Holmgren's four points likely made him as invisible as he's ever been. Jalen Williams has both been an impactful member of OKC's starting Big 3 and at times the heart and soul of the non-SGA lineups. He was hardly either Wednesday.
Lu Dort never hit a shot, Giddey hit one more after his pair of 3s. Altogether, the non-SGA starters combined to shoot 26.3% on 38 attempts.
It's remarkably uncharacteristic for this group, as encouraging as any young core in the league to this point this season. You probably won't need an entire hand to count the times they'll replicate Wednesday's performance for the remainder of the season.
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And while Houston's stifling defense is the main culprit, some of the spacing concerns (which hadn't quite killed them so much to this point amid constant lineup shuffles) likely played a part too.
More: Jalen Williams, OKC Thunder hold off 30-0 run from Luka Doncic, Mavericks for road win
Tre Mann 's necessary night
Behind the Thunder's nightmarish spacing troubles, its uncharacteristic loss of shotmaking like it'd collectively palmed the magic ball from Space Jam — there he was.
Mann, playing in just his seventh game of the season, delivered his best minutes yet. They even came as early as the first quarter. Somehow, all 24 of them were necessary.
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He ended the night with 10 points, three boards, four assists, went 4 for 8 and made two 3-pointers while being a +7. Mann's early appearance came just one day after he lit up the G League's Birmingham Squadron for a 26-piece. No one had to question what it did for him as the game unfolded.
There was the sequence where he beat Rockets forward Tari Eason to the spot, stripped him as he rose, then shook the transition defender for a graceful layup. There was the head fake that allowed him to sling a no-look dump down pass to Jalen Williams to close the half.
The Thunder's battles with offense Wednesday grew excessive at times. Mann's ability as a floor spacer and creative ball handler relieved some of that pressure, even if just in bursts.
More: How did Shai Gilgeous-Alexander grow into an OKC Thunder superstar? Look to July 11, 2019
Dec 6, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) makes a three point basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) in the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Tip-ins:
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After Wednesday's loss, the Thunder has lost five of its last seven versus the Rockets. Dating back even further to Oct. 2021, OKC has lost its last five games in Houston.
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Aaron Wiggins , who was every bit a timely cutter again on Wednesday, finished with 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting.
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Gilgeous-Alexander's six steals put him at 2.6 steals per game, still with distant room atop the league ahead of Donovan Mitchell 's two steals a contest.
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Wednesday's game marked SGA's fourth game with at least five steals this season. It marked his eight game with at least three steals.
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Thunder vs. Warriors
TIPOFF:7 p.m. Friday at Paycom Center (Bally Sports Oklahoma)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder fall short vs. Dillon Brooks, Houston Rockets
