After falling behind by as many as 18, the Thunder defeated the Golden State Warriors 130-123 in overtime. The Thunder’s winning run now stands at four games thanks to 76 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren combined.
The Stand-out players for this game were Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Fans took to social media to praise Chet Holmgren’s game as they were immensely happy with his masterful performance against the Warriors. One fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Wemby has nothing on him”, comparing him to another rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama.
The OKC Thunder’s fans were ecstatic after a thrilling win against the Warriors as they can now believe they have a sensational team. With a variant of profiles that the Thunder possess, it will be an exciting season for them in the NBA.
Chet Holmgren praises Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for his overtime performance
On 18th November in San Francisco, Oklahoma City’s rookie Chet Holmgren recorded a career-high 36 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block (StatMuse) as the Thunder handed the Warriors their second consecutive home loss of the season.
Although Chet played a wonderful game, the win was seen off by the brilliance of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as he scored 40 points and won the game for the Thunders in Overtime. Chet was full of praise for Shai after the game against the Warriors.
SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER TODAY
40 POINTS
6 ASSISTS
6 REBOUNDS
2 BLOCKS
2 STEALS
18/29 FGA10 IN OVERTIME
DAGGER BLOCK ON CURRYMAPLE JORDAN 🍁 pic.twitter.com/FxoBDBSDNJ
— TF (@ThunderFocus) November 19, 2023
He said, “Man, it’s huge. Like you said, we were down big at points, but we stayed together, really played for each other and, you know, we were able to string, string together enough good plays to, you know, give us a chance at the end, sent it to OT and then, you know, number two took over, does what he does, took it to OT and really won us the game there.”
Chet and Shai have proven to be quality players for the OKC Thunders up till now. They both have a huge ceiling above them in their respective positions and can go all the way in the NBA if they keep their heads down and work hard for it.
OKC Thunder coach Mark Daigneault exploits the Warriors’ gameplan
The OKC Thunders pulled off a thrilling win against the Warriors in overtime of the NBA regular season on the 18th of November. The OKC rookies Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren were the stand-out performers for them in this game.
However, the OKC Thunders’ Coach Mark Daigneault exploited the Warrios’ game plan for this particular match. With Draymond Green suspended this was the perfect chance for OKC to profit and that is what they did in this game.
Chet Holmgren tonight:
36 points
10 rebounds
5 assists
2 steals
1 block pic.twitter.com/37dLXkhsAG— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 19, 2023
Coach Mark Daigneault of the Thunder was impressed by Holmgren’s ability to take advantage of mismatches off of shifts. After hitting a jump hook over the 6-foot guard, he even gave veteran Chris Paul a “too small” hit, two nights after a video of Paul elbowing Holmgren outside of the paint went viral.
It remains to be seen what happens next with the OKC Thunder in the season. With the likes of Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, all eyes will be on them to deliver game after game. This performance against the Warriors was an example of how good they can be in the future.