Arya News - OKC`s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 35 points as the Thunder rolled past Memphis, which was without Ja Morant, for an 11th straight win.
For a possession, the world seemed to spin at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s pace.
Eight seconds remained in the third quarter when the ball found his hands, the last play of the period. His strut didn’t spell urgency. He ambled past halfcourt. Three seconds remained then. With a single push and gather, Gilgeous-Alexander glided through the air, gifting the rim — and the defense that watched with wide eyes and low jaws — an underhand scoop.
His slow-footed journey up the court was him playing his own strings. His audience catered to and followed along with him. The second-seeded Grizzlies — who missed Ja Morant — succumbed to his whims then, but they generally had little control over them Sunday night.
“Three seconds is a lot of time,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the Thunder’s 130-106 win , extending its win streak to 11 games. “I knew that, with that amount of time, I could get to the rim if I wanted to.”
That’s the way his reality has functioned this season. Time is everlasting for a man who can score in slow motion and with furious feet. And his desires have been granted almost everywhere on the court.
“He’s the MVP,” center Isaiah Hartenstein said of the third quarter buzzer beater. “He can do stuff like that.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, who poured in his second straight 40-point performance just three nights earlier, dropped 35 points, six rebounds and seven assists on 14-of-19 shooting on Sunday. He made 13 of his 14 2-point attempts. He’s exercised free will on a basketball court like few others.
The superstar guard was a catalyst in the team’s 26th win, a game that featured a 26-7 run and a 25-7 run for the Thunder before halftime.
OKC ran it up. It held Memphis to 38.1% shooting and 27.5% from 3; the usual. Jaren Jackson Jr. made just three of his 17 shots.
After Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC’s next-leading scorer was Ajay Mitchell, the impressive rookie who dropped a career-high 17 points on Sunday. The Thunder made its living in the paint, in transition — anywhere Gilgeous-Alexander cared to roam.
He’s been the common denominator for a team that’s absorbed rounds of injuries. Games without center Chet Holmgren, games without Hartenstein, games without a center entirely. Countless other games where injury reports added pages.
But SGA has been as consistent as advertised. With his availability, with the ball in his hands, in leading this young Thunder squad to a Western Conference best 26-5 record.
All of it, plus the lingering effects of his second place finish in last year’s MVP race, have built a foundation for his case this season. An unwavering star guard, an impenetrable scorer who’s pushed through the season without his potential All-Star center.
The talent to warp an otherwise mundane matchup, without the explosive effects of a player like Morant, into his own canvas.
Gilgeous-Alexander, without trying, has been a show unto himself. Jalen Williams, with an intimate view, has stopped trying to explain it.
“Watch the games,” said Williams when asked why SGA should be MVP. “It’s pretty obvious. I don’t know how he didn’t get it last year, so I don’t know what to tell you.”
Mitchell impresses again
Things are moving quickly for Ajay Mitchell.
Just this week, he posted his first career double-double, made his first start and scored his career-high.
More than ever, Mitchell has felt like a revelation, a typically steady hand on an offense still learning itself. Of value as a rookie, and not just because of where general Sam Presti selected him in the draft. But that part, and the fact that he remains on a two-way contract, has made Mitchell’s progression that much more notable.
“Sam loved him from the jump,” Daigneault said of Mitchell. “I can remember (Presti), all the way back into last season, he was on the road watching him, and I remember him telling me about him before I ever laid eyes on him.”
On Sunday, en route to 17 points and three assists, he reeled in outlet passes and drilled open 3s. Much of what he did complemented his pair of star ball-handling teammates.
“Me and (Williams) joke, like, we can tell by the way he plays that he went to college for four years,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He makes every read. He plays basketball the right way. He does all the little things and just helps us win.
“His situation coming into the season, you might not have expected this — I certainly didn’t. But after being with him for the first couple weeks of training camp and preseason, you can see where he’s going with it.”
SGA remembers a practice when Mitchell rattled off six or seven plays consecutively. He knew then he was “taught how to play.” Mitchell has embodied the stereotypes of a 22-year-old rookie in all the right ways.
“When you can feel the game, you can play anywhere,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “No matter what game you"re thrown into. In Germany, in Italy, in the NBA, in Canada — it doesn’t matter. … That’s what we’re seeing with Ajay.”
The odd list of stars that OKC has missed
It was late before Saturday’s game when Thunder players were informed that neither LaMelo Ball nor Brandon Miller would suit up against them. Several were noticeably stunned, clearly prepared to test themselves against a couple of emerging young stars.
That trend continued with Morant’s absence on Sunday. It’s the nature of the league this season, and perhaps even more so with OKC’s schedule to this point.
All told, the Thunder has seen the Suns without Kevin Durant; the Magic without Paolo Banchero in OKC, and without both Banchero and Franz Wagner in Orlando; the Pelicans without Zion Williamson and multiple impact starters; the Mavericks without Luka Doncic; the Spurs without Victor Wembanyama; the Clippers without Kawhi Leonard (there’s a reader awaiting with a snarky comment, but Leonard is targeting a return next week, meaning he isn’t extinct); the Warriors without Steph Curry; the Hornets without Ball or Miller; and now the Grizzlies without Morant.
“It’s something to adjust to,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You"re in this league to play the best players in the world. You want to play them, get up to play them. It"s fun to play them. It"s fun to compete, it"s fun to see how good you really are, and you do that by going against the best.”
The Thunder’s own season has been defined by serious injury misfortune. Before Chet Holmgren went down, he resembled an All-Star. And he carried extra weight in Hartenstein’s absence. Hartenstein’s been forced to do the same without Holmgren.
“That’s the NBA, the season’s long,” Hartenstein said Saturday night. “You really can’t control that. All you can control is what habits you build.”
OKC has yet to play a game with a fully healthy rotation, though it’s proven to be a fully capable team, amassing an NBA-best 18-3 record since losing Holmgren. But its unusual series of games played against teams missing their first option has left some meat on the bone regarding the team’s own assessment of what it has.
“If you ask me which one I prefer, obviously it’s to play teams fully healthy, at their full strength so we can see where we are,” SGA said. “But it’s something we can’t control, and all we can do is try to win a basketball game.”
Ja Morant injury update: Grizzlies guard ruled out vs. Thunder with AC joint sprain
Thunder vs. Grizzlies live score updates
More: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads OKC Thunder past Charlotte Hornets to end road trip
What time is Thunder vs. Grizzlies NBA game today?
Date: Sunday, Dec. 29
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City
More: OKC Thunder vs Memphis Grizzlies: Prediction, picks, injury updates and odds
What channel is OKC Thunder vs Memphis Grizzlies on today?
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
How to watch online: Fubo (free trial)
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM
More: OKC Thunder storms past Pacers as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivers MVP performance
Thunder vs. Grizzlies odds
Odds courtesy of via BetMGM as of Sunday, Dec. 29
Odds: Thunder by 7.5
Over/under: 233.5
Moneyline: OKC -300 | Memphis +240
More: How OKC Thunder"s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams found comfort in film sessions
OKC Thunder roster
Branden Carlson , C
Alex Caruso , PG
Ousmane Dieng , SF
Luguentz Dort , SG
Alex Ducas , SG *
Adam Flagler , PG
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , SG
Isaiah Hartenstein , C
Chet Holmgren , PF
Isaiah Joe , SG
Dillon Jones , SF
Ajay Mitchell , SG *
Nikola Topić , PG
Cason Wallace , SG
Aaron Wiggins , SG
Jalen Williams , SG
Jaylin Williams , PF
Kenrich Williams , PF
*-two-way contract
More: What will new OKC Thunder arena look like? Why architect David Manica isn"t sure yet
More: What will 2025 bring for OKC Thunder and NBA? We make 25 bold predictions
Thunder vs. Grizzlies highlights
Tweets by okcthunder
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder routs Memphis Grizzlies for best start in team history
