Josh Giddey matched his NBA career-best point total with 31 against the Houston Rockets in a crushing overtime loss.
Just one day after scoring a season-high 25 points against the New Orleans PelicansGiddey scored the Thunder’s best score with his 31 on 12-of-20 shooting, to go along with seven rebounds and four assists.
That included a clutch pass for Jalen Williams to tie the score at 112-112 with just 4.7 seconds left in regulation.
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Jalen Green was inches away from a game-winner for the Rockets at the buzzer as his layup just bounced off the rim.
But the Rockets prevailed in overtime, outscoring the Thunder 20-14 to win 132-126 and claim a tenth straight victory.
They were led by Jalen Green’s 37 points, while Amen Thompson had 25 points with 15 rebounds.
Giddey was also involved in two crazy moments during the match, the first being a bench clearing incident when Dillon Brooks shoved the Australian away after Giddey attempted to forcibly help Houston’s Jabari Smith off the ground .
The second came with just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter, when Giddey fell to the floor near the free throw line, but somehow managed to get the ball and shoot sitting back – beating the shot clock to give Oklahoma the lead.
His teammates – and the entire crowd – were left in disbelief at the circus shot.
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out for two straight games, Giddey has clearly established himself as an offensive force, taking a lot more shots – and responsibility – as the playoffs approach.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault praised the confident and aggressive Giddey, saying, “He’s had a string of games where he’s done that.” He puts his driving in the game, he puts his passes in the game. When he moves forward in transition, it really fires us up, it really gets us moving forward offensively. It’s the best thing he does for us.
“He played another good offensive game tonight, playing with a lot of confidence and aggression, which is how we need him.”
Giddey said he was: “I was just kind of taking what they gave me. We’ve seen a lot of different looks, teams show us their best defensive formations… as a team we adapt to different looks.
“Tonight, I was just trying to go down, make the play – whether it was shooting the ball, hitting a shooter, hitting a cutter, I was just trying to make the right play.”
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He added that he brought new confidence to his shooting: “When I started doing cross-match – first of all, it’s a credit to the team we have -.. .I think before I was hesitant, I was wide open like ‘do I want to shoot it every time?’ Now I’m starting to get into the rhythm a bit, shooting the good ones.
“Don’t think about it, don’t hesitate, shoot with confidence, don’t let the last shot impact the next,” he said.
Giddey faced some shooting woes this season, but was buoyed by the constant support of his teammates and their belief that he could turn things around.
“It’s huge for a player’s confidence,” Giddey said. “When you’re missing shots and things aren’t going well, having great people around you is the best thing for you.
“It’s easy to get caught up in your own head, thinking about your own game. But when you zoom out, look at the big picture, we’re a winning team, I’m in a really good place.
I have great people around me.
“It’s just a blip on the radar. You will have ups and downs and tough times, and there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
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