High praise as Aussie star sets new NBA record

1 year ago 91

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points, Josh Giddey had the seventh triple-double of his vocation and 3rd of the season, and the Oklahoma City Thunder bushed the Golden State Warriors 137-128 connected Wednesday.

Giddey finished with 17 points, a career-high 17 assists and 11 rebounds.

The 20-year-old Melbourne native's 17 assists tied the astir ever successful an NBA crippled by an Australia aft Ben Simmons achieved the aforesaid fig successful 2019.

Giddey besides became the youngest subordinate successful NBA past to grounds a triple-double with implicit 15 assists, and drew level with Hall of Famer Magic Johnson with 7 triple-doubles earlier the property of 21.

The Thunder led by 15 points successful the 4th quarter, yet inactive had to clasp connected astatine the end. They won their 3rd consecutive successful their quest for a playoff spot.

“You got to instrumentality punches to bushed them due to the fact that they (the Warriors) conscionable support throwing them, and they people successful bunches and they bash a large occupation of generating their ain energy," Thunder manager Mark Daigneault said.

"You know, the crippled tin beryllium going poorly for them. And the adjacent happening you know, it’s similar an 8-0 spurt and they get themselves going. And they’ve done that for a decade.”

Dallas Mavericks prima Luka Doncic holds the grounds aft registering 21 triple-doubles earlier helium turned 21 successful 2020. Giddey has until October to get to Doncic's record.

“Guys are making shots,” helium said. “I mean, it’s benignant of that easy. I mean, I was conscionable making the close play and, you know, 17 assists sounds great, but you springiness a batch of recognition to your teammates. They were successful the close spot a batch of tonight. They made shots, made immoderate pugnacious ones arsenic well."

Stephen Curry scored 40 points and made a season-high 10 three-pointers, but 1 helium missed was costly.

The Thunder led 135-128 with 47.1 seconds left, and a foul was called erstwhile Aaron Wiggins blocked his three-pointer. The Thunder challenged, and it was determined that the artifact was clean. The Thunder won the midcourt extremity and controlled the crippled from there.

“I thought we did a large occupation successful the archetypal enactment forced him into a contested shot," Daigneault said. "Wiggs did a truly bully job, but him and Lu (Dort) communicated that truly well.”

Klay Thompson scored 23 points and Jonathan Kuminga added 21 for the Warriors. But the Warriors got down aboriginal and trailed 68-64 astatine fractional time.

“I felt we were a small disconnected successful the archetypal fractional respective times, and truthful we talked astir that astatine halftime and tried to get backmost retired determination and vie the 2nd half," Warriors manager Steve Kerr said.

"There was decidedly a disconnect successful the archetypal fractional and that outgo us.”

Golden State's Jordan Poole was called for a method aboriginal successful the 4th quarter. Oklahoma City's Isaiah Joe missed the method escaped throw, but Jaylin Williams dunked connected Oklahoma City's other possession to enactment the Thunder up 111-106.

After a Warriors turnover, Joe made up for the missed escaped propulsion with a 3-pointer that enactment Oklahoma City up 114-106 and forced the Warriors to telephone timeout. The Thunder pushed the pb to 123-108 connected a slope changeable by Gilgeous-Alexander with 7 minutes remaining.

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!