Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Sends Houston Home, Takes Second Win in Three Nights
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Oklahoma City came out of Houston with a 13-point win over the Rockets on Sunday evening – looking to do the same ahead of a late night game on Tuesday, this time at home.
On a five-game roll and with one of the strongest home records in the NBA, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams again performed to a great degree versus Houston for the second time in a row, and the third time this season.
The trio would help lead the Thunder past the Rockets 112-95 on the night, improving to 41-17 and remaining tied for first in the jam-packed Western Conference.
Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 points before Williams' 24. Holmgren's productive night saw him with three blocks and 13 rebounds beside his 18 points.
For Houston, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun led the way, each with 18 and 23 points.
It was a pretty comparable first quarter to Sunday night's matchup, with both teams trading leads several times throughout. Josh Giddey showed himself early on, showing a heightened aggressiveness out of the gate to post the Thunder's first four out of five baskets.
He'd help Oklahoma City get out to an 8-0 run after Houston claimed the first two scores of the game.
Gilgeous-Alexander was quiet until around the 5:00 mark, where he eventually found 10 points by the end of the quarter. His ability to reach 10-plus points by the end of the first frame has been incredibly consistent this season.
But his first quarter consistency wasn't enough to give Oklahoma City the edge entering the second frame, as Sengun's eight points and shooting just 2-of-10 from the 3-point line didn't do them any favors.
The next quarter saw former Oklahoma City and current Houston forward Jeff Green turn back the clock some, as the 37-year-old logged a swift five points with a three and a hard lay-in over Chet Holmgren to help the Rockets maintain its marginal lead. Sengun continued to find luck himself, converting for the second time on his push shot down low to refrain from confronting the shot-blocking threat in Holmgren.
The Thunder weren't letting them hold the lead for long though, retaking it minutes into the quarter before a back and forth frame ensued.
Less than two minutes left in the half and another successful Mark Daigneault challenge, Oklahoma City had extended its lead out to six before Houston challenged a call of its own following a close shooting foul on Fred VanVleet.
The Rockets would lose that challenge, and would also have a technical called on Smith Jr.. And following that, Ime Udoka's temper flared to give the Thunder another free throw opportunity from a second technical foul.
Houston's back half of the second quarter turned into a complete spiral. A two-minute stretch derailed the team's strong first quarter effort. With the Paycom Center's fans on their heels and now a 12-point lead, Gilgeous-Alexander unwisely fouled Sengun on a near full-court attempt in the closing seconds of the half to instantly cool down some of that brewing momentum.
Hitting just two-of-three from the line, the Thunder walked into the locker room with a 60-50 lead, still shooting just 30% from beyond the arc with six makes – something that's not seen too often with this team. But Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander customarily led them in scoring with 16 and 15 entering the break.
The third quarter's spark came between the Holmgren-Sengun dynamic, with each big trading emphatic dunks. Holmgren held out firm though, creating a three for Giddey – who the Rockets were daring to shoot – and stuffing Smith Jr's shot on the other end.
That block led to a trey ball from Lu Dort, sinking his first shot on the night in eight tries as they forced Houston to take a timeout.
The Rockets' call for a break was beneficial, as they went on a huge run out of it behind an impressive scoring run from Jalen Green to cut the Thunder lead to three. Gileous-Alexander couldn't let Oklahoma City's offense go stale though as he brought some excitement through nine points to end the quarter, elevating their lead back to 10 before the final frame.
With the pace of the game and the inconsistency of Houston's offense, it seemed like the Thunder would truly separate in the fourth.
They'd prove that right, as a number of players would contribute in the fourth and a well-rounded defensive effort helped keep the Rockets at bay – and Gilgeous-Alexander sending Houston off with a farewell step-back dagger from three was just something on top.
Next, Oklahoma City will head back on the road to take on the San Antonio Spurs at 7:30 p.m. CT on Thursday.
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