NBA
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the first team to have three players score 25+ points in a play-in game
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated13 Apr 2023
Last night, the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off the 123-118 upset victory on the road to keep their playoff hopes alive. The NBA’s youngest team by average age continues to show that they are on the verge of something special. Their franchise is set up for success in the present and in the future with their draft capital. Stellar guard play took over for the Thunder last night. They are the first team to have at least three players score 25+ points in a play-in game.
OKC’s win gave them a chance to extend their season a bit longer if they can pull off another upset win tomorrow vs the Minnesota Timberwolves. Shai Gilegeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, and Lu Dort combined for 90 points last night and all three scored at least 25.
They were down 63-57 at the half, but had a strong third quarter and held on in the fourth with some clutch shots by SGA. NBA betting sites have the Thunder at (+158) to win vs the Timberwolves tomorrow in the win-or-go-home to earn the #8 seed.
The Thunder send the Pelicans packing behind big games from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, & Luguentz Dort.
🏀SGA: 32 Pts
🏀Giddey: 31
🏀Dort: 27OKC is the first team with 3 25-point scorers in a play-in game. OKC did this once in the regular season (March 28 vs CHA). pic.twitter.com/qvhC6uO1TS
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 13, 2023
OKC’s guard trio combined for 90 points last night in a 123-118 win vs the New Orleans Pelicans
The second half is where the Thunder took over last night and it was specifically the third quarter where they outscored the Pelicans, 39-24. Shai Gilegeous-Alexander scored 17 of his 32 points in the third last night while the Pelicans only scored 24 points total that quarter. SGA also grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 3 assists in 41 minutes played.
Gilgeous-Alexander gets a lot of praise for being the best player on the Thunder this year. They would not have been able to get the win last night if not for Josh Giddey’s near-triple-double performance. He finished the game with 31 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists. Both SGA and himself went 11-22 from the field and each made at least six free throws.
Finishing up the elite guard play last night for the Thunder was Lu Dort. He finished the game with 27 points and 5 rebounds while going 4-8 from deep. The Thunder will travel to Minnesota tomorrow to face the Timberwolves at 9:30 pm EST.
