SGA and Chet lead the way as the Thunder win their 5th-straight game and tie MIN atop the West ⛈️⛈️ SGA: 36 PTS, 5 REB, 7 AST, 3 STL Chet: 29 PTS, 5 3PM, 8 REB, 7 AST, 3 BLK
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 30+ for the 42nd time: Leads Oklahoma City Thunder to victory over Houston Rockets
NBAMonday, 26 February 2024 at 04:10
The Oklahoma City Thunder picked up another huge victory
tonight, defeating the Houston Rockets 123-110 at the Toyota Center behind
another outstanding Shai-Gilgeous Alexander performance.
SGA is making his MVP case, as he’s leading his squad to a
top seed in the Western Conference despite being one of the youngest teams in
the NBA. There wasn’t much expectations for OKC heading into the season but
things have changed quickly thanks to their unbelievable chemistry on and off
the court, and it looks like the rebuild for this team has advanced in the blink
of an eye.
The 2-time All-Star is the leader of this group, and he did
his thing once again, scoring 36 points on 56% shooting. This is the
25-year-old’s 42nd game scoring 30 or more points, by far the most
in the NBA. Rookie Chet Holmgren had a fantastic game as well, ending with 29
points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 blocks. He’s making his case for Rookie of
the Year and going toe-to-toe with Victor Wembanyama.
Jalen Williams had another phenomenal night, scoring 22
points while Lu Dort chipped in 16 points of his own. Josh Giddey struggled
tonight, only scoring 2 points on 20% shooting.
For the Rockets, Jabari Smith Jr. led the way with his
massive performance, finishing with 20 points and 17 rebounds. Alperen Sengun also
recorded a double-double, recording 19 points and 12 rebounds. Fred VanVleet
scored 20 points while Dillon Brooks had 13 points. Jalen Green had an inefficient
night, shooting 38% and scoring just 11 points.
This win improves the Thunder to 40-17, which makes them
tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the top seed in the Western
Conference. However, due to the tiebreaker, OKC sits at 2 for the time being.
This was a huge win for them as each game is so meaningful when it comes to the
final standings in the West. They are 8-2 over their last 10 games and
currently on a 5-game winning streak. Their next game will be on Tuesday
against the Rockets again where they’ll look to continue this run.
Meanwhile, this loss drops the Rockets to 25-32, which makes
them 12th in the Western Conference and 4.5 games out of the play-in tournament.
Houston is 3-7 over their last 10 games and will look to bounce back against
this same Thunder team on Tuesday.
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