Australian young star Josh Giddey continued to shine today as Oklahoma notched their third big come-from-behind win of the season against San Antonio.
While Giddey knocked down a monster three which showcased his long-range shooting ability, again it was his passing ability that left viewers fawning.
Averaging better than six assists per game this season, 19-year-old Giddey made a number of plays against the Spurs that helped the Thunder rally from 16 points down.
Then, with OKC nursing a three-point lead and just under one minute remaining, the Australian passed up a good look for a three-point opportunity, instead driving to the basket and laying it off to Luguentz Dort, who dunked for the easy two points.
That moment proved crucial with OKC defeating the Spurs by five points, 99-94.
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The Thunder have trailed by at least 16 points in all three of their wins.
They trailed the Los Angeles Lakers by 26 before getting their first win of the season in Oklahoma City, then trailed the Lakers by 19 points last Thursday before winning.
What impressed Thunder coach Mark Daigneault most about the victory was how his side handled the intensity level during their latest comeback.
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“The stuff that really stood out to me is the physicality of the game and the competitiveness that we played with, especially in the second half,” he said. “The fact that we could recognize in real time in the game that we needed to amp it up and then did it on a pretty quick turn.”
Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 14 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, and Darius Bazley added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder. Big man Mike Muscala scored 20 points in 14 minutes.
– with AP
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