After losing by an NBA record 73 points last game, the Oklahoma City Thunder had to wait three full days before they could try to wipe away the ugly taste in their mouths. The team had nearly four days to fully process the whooping the Memphis Grizzlies handed them. Players talked all weekend long about how anxious and excited they are to go back out there and prove that the Grizzlies game was an anomaly and did not reflect who they are as a team. This time around, the cavalry arrived in arguably their two best players on the team in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey along with their best bench player in Kenrich Williams all returning tonight.
After looking sluggish in the first half, the Thunder were able to turn it up on both sides of the court in the second as they held the Pistons to just 40 points while. For context, the Thunder scored a season-high 42 points in the fourth quarter as they won a game where they trailed by 18 points. The Thunder now lead the league in 15+ point comebacks after tonight. This is who the 2021-22 Thunder have been; a team that plays above its weight class and keeps games competitive.
So it should not be a surprise that the team played substantially much better with three of its best players returning. Let’s take a look at some player grades:
