In Game 5, Danilo Gallinari could not find openings. He could not get the ball. He only attempted five shots and finished with one point, which came on a technical free throw.
That could not happen in Game 6, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan said.
“Today was trying to get Gallo a little bit more involved,” Donovan said. “Putting Gallo in some high-screening action, knowing that they were going to switch and then trying to get the floor spaced with Gallo in the high slot.”
They did that. Gallinari was able to find space on catch-and-shoots and created shots for himself, pacing the Thunder with 25 points in the 104-100 win over the Houston Rockets to force a Game 7.
Gallinari scored 11 points in the first half and then 12 points in the third quarter alone.
He only had two in the fourth, but those two points were free throws with four seconds left that iced the game.
“We were able to kind of get the floor organized … It’s hard for any really, really great offensive player to operate effectively without really, really good spacing,” Donovan said.
“And I thought our guys, once we got into initial actions, and we got what we wanted, we got the floor spaced correctly, and we kind of knew where maybe help was going to come from.”
That spacing helped, as Gallinari knocked down some catch-and-shoot 3s.
Still on 🔥. @gallinari8888 | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/XpII0tvLX5
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) September 1, 2020
Olha quem veio pro jogo: Danilo Gallinari! É o cestinha de OKC até aqui com 23PTS.#ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/DMz9M2paZB
— Camisa 24 (@camisa_23) September 1, 2020
But Gallinari also created shots for himself using his height advantage over the Rockets.
This shot isn’t quite a Dirk Nowitzki fadeaway, but with such a high release that towered over his defender’s head, the 6-foot-10 Gallinari had all the room he needed with a slight lean back.
Danilo Gallinari is feeling it. #ThunderUp x #OneMission #WholeNewGame #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/JwmSu6YGxB
— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) September 1, 2020
He also used some strength to get to his mark on the court and then create room.
Gallo leads OKC with 11p on 5 of 10 from the field. @gallinari8888 | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/BomFvEC2SV
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) September 1, 2020
Gallinari was instrumental in the Thunder win. After starting slow, he made eight Oklahoma City points in a row during a stretch in the first quarter.
His 12 points in the third quarter was more than 40% of Oklahoma City’s total points in that frame.
Gallinari’s consistency has become relied upon for this Thunder team. As they force a Game 7, his stretch-big skill needs to be a difference-maker in a win-or-go home game.
