Oklahoma City will finally have no hangover after his defeat in the NBA Cup final. While the Thunder had to face a complicated back-to-back against the Magic then the Heat, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his team finally left Florida with two victories, after their success in Miami (97-104).
Despite Jimmy Butler suffering from gastric problems and having to leave his teammates after a few minutes, while Bam Adebayo had to go to the locker room to have seven stitches placed in his eye, following an obviously unintentional elbow from his teammate, Jaime Jaquez Jr, Miami hung on.
Behind Tyler Herro and the impact of Dru Smith coming off the bench, Erik Spoelstra's men even went back in front (61-58) in the third quarter. But thanks in particular to their defensive activity (another 19 turnovers caused for 27 points scored on these interceptions…), the Thunder responded with a 10-0 to regain control of operations, and ultimately never let go.
Even if Miami was never completely dropped, the Thunder, carried by a great Jalen Williams (33 points, his season record, 6 rebounds and 4 assists), ultimately never trembled, and therefore won.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– The Thunder’s 3-point skill found. Betrayed by their skill from afar in the NBA Cup final, and not particularly skillful against the Magic, the OKC players found the focus in Miami behind a nice 14/34 from afar, carried especially by Lu's 4/5 Sleeps and Jalen Williams' 4/7. And that changes a lot of things…
– A seventh consecutive victory for OKC! The NBA Cup final does not count in the regular season results, and Oklahoma City therefore officially remains on seven consecutive victories in the regular season, despite their loss against the Bucks. This allows them to post the best record in the West (22 wins – 5 losses) and even the second best record in the entire NBA, just behind the Cavaliers (24-4).
– A few minutes for Jimmy Butler. An ankle that turns, a stomach that bugs, and here is Jimmy Butler who leaves the meeting after a few minutes. He won't come back, and it's obviously harder for the Heat.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
