Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's secret motivation fueled victory vs. Kings
Yesterday at 04:59 PM
After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Sacramento Kings on Monday, he shared the significance of beating the Kings at the Golden 1 Center. Gilgeous-Alexander manifested Isaiah Hartenstein to join Oklahoma City, he revealed, before telling reporters the extra motivation he carried into Monday’s matchup, considering the Thunder hadn’t won in Sacramento since 2021.
The Thunder entered Monday’s game on a seven-game losing streak at the Golden 1 Center, which ended when Gilgeous-Alexander’s 37-point, 11-assist performance headlined a 130-109 blowout victory. After the win, he admitted that the fact that he hadn’t beaten the Kings in their house crossed his mind when he entered the building.
“Yeah, I thought about that too before the game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Coming into this building, I can’t remember the last time I won. I was so desperate to really get one tonight.”
After taking a one-point lead (63-62) into halftime, the Thunder held their opponent to 22 third-quarter points while outscoring the Kings by 12 to grab a double-digit lead. Then, Jalen Williams scored 11 consecutive points in the final frame en route to 28 points on an efficient 10-of-16 attempts, including three triples, five assists, four rebounds, two steals, and one block.
Once again, Williams stuffed the stat sheet, making his presence felt on both ends of the floor. However, he credited Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault with boosting his confidence, which has led to his efficiency this season.
“I feel like I’m good at a lot of things, and I think that was just one of the things; you can’t make shots if you don’t shoot them,” Williams said. “So, that was kind of my biggest thing. I’ve always been ready to shoot and make shots. It also helps that Mark [Daigneault] is one of the biggest people telling me to shoot the ball. So, when you have that kind of belief system, it’s given me a lot of confidence to go out there and shoot.”
Williams is averaging 23.7 points on an incredible 55.7%/43.7%/100% shooting splits in November.
Cason Wallace leaves Thunder game vs. Kings with an injury
Amid Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder creating distance in the third quarter, reserve guard Cason Wallace suffered a right ankle sprain late in the third quarter of Monday’s win. He joins the Thunder’s long list of injuries, including forward Chet Holmgren, center Jaylin Williams, and Alex Caruso, to name a few.
Caruso’s lingering hip injury ruled him out for Thunder’s matchup against the Kings, but he could return for Wednesday’s game in an increased role against the Warriors.
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