Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t hide from the emotional swing of Oklahoma City’s first two weeks. He admitted the Thunder’s rough stretch had worn on him, but against Cleveland he finally looked like himself again.
Gilgeous-Alexander powered the Thunder to a 117-112 win over the Cavs with a season-high 43 points, plus eight assists, two steals, and one block. It was a sharp response after Oklahoma City had already taken a 120-96 loss to Dallas - its worst regular-season defeat - and then got blasted again in Houston, 119-98, three days later.
The injuries have been piling up fast, too. Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace are already out long term, and Chet Holmgren recently underwent biological treatment for a right knee injury that could keep him sidelined for up to two months. With that backdrop, Gilgeous-Alexander said he had to reset his approach.
“The way the past week has gone, I needed to have better personal energy,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It obviously was very emotional, and a lot really fast, but I think I had to get my mind to what I could control, and where we are as a team, and where my feet were.
And I think my head wasn’t where it should have been. I just tried to stay in the moment tonight more than anything, and I guess it paid off.”
He also pointed to the people around him for keeping him grounded.
“It’s a little bit of what I was taught. Also, my inner circle, the people I have around me on a day-to-day, we don’t sugarcoat things,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
“We tell each other how it is and what it is. When you have people that are brutally honest around you, you get a chance to get better at things, ultimately, in life.”
That honesty extends to head coach Mark Daigneault, who Gilgeous-Alexander said isn’t shy about calling him out. That matters now more than ever, with Oklahoma City trying to navigate what looks like its toughest season in recent memory after three straight years with the best record in the Western Conference standings.
“My head now is just trying to figure out what winning will look like with this team, and this group, as myself, and the rest of the group have come so accustomed to what winning will look like with the group that we’ve had,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Just trying to figure that out - that’s all that matters. Trying to win games and figure out what it looks like.
“In the NBA, it’s a team full of NBA players. Even when you might not have “enough talent” on paper, you still do.
You just have to do it a different way, and we found that way tonight. And that’s going to be the challenge going forward for the rest of the season.”
Even with the setbacks, Gilgeous-Alexander said the Thunder’s goals haven’t moved. He said the team is still chasing a second title in three years, even if the route to get there has changed.
“For me, they don’t change,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated. “The same expectations we’ve always had as a group.
I think the challenge has just changed. And how we’re going to be able to get it done is going to be a little bit different.
And that’s the hard part, and the figuring out. Same expectations; it’s just the path is going to look a little different now.”
Oklahoma City will get another shot at Cleveland on Wednesday, when the Cavs visit the Paycom Center for the rematch.
In Other News...
Jared McCain Is Giving The Thunder A Reason To Stay Patient
Jared McCains recent shooting slump has been hard to miss, with the rookie going 1 of 22 from three over his last four games and sitting at 33.7 percent overall on the season. Even so, the Thunder have not rushed to shrink his role, and Mark Daigneault has kept leaning on him because McCain keeps finding ways to help beyond the box score.
The defense has been the biggest reason for that patience. McCain has been active, disruptive and willing to do the dirty work, limiting opponents efficiency while chipping in on rebounds, deflections and charges drawn. For a young guard trying to settle in, that kind of two-way impact can buy a lot of runway, even when the shot isnt falling. [Read more 🡒]
Westbrooks Thunder Honor Just Reopened The Kevin Durant Debate
Russell Westbrooks jersey retirement on Feb. 7 is a fitting milestone for the Thunder, a reminder of how much of the franchises modern identity was built around the core that came through Oklahoma City in the 2010s. It also naturally pulls attention back to the other towering figure from that era, Kevin Durant, whose time with the team brought elite production, deep playoff runs and a permanent place in the organizations history.
For the Thunder, the question is simple to ask and complicated to answer. Durants accomplishments in Oklahoma City are impossible to ignore, but the emotional baggage attached to his exit still hangs over any discussion of a future jersey retirement, and there has been no official announcement either way. Westbrooks honor may have reopened the conversation, but the franchise is still left weighing legacy against memory. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Daigneault Hinted At What Thunder Needed From These Roster Fixes
The Thunder used their latest roster moves to reinforce the kind of depth and versatility they keep chasing at the margins, adding Micah Peavy to a two-way spot and bringing in Dalen Terry for their final standard roster opening. Both players fit the broad profile Oklahoma City tends to value, and head coach Mark Daigneault pointed to their physical tools and the ways they might help the team in different spots.
The shuffle also came with a difficult casualty, as Otega Oweh was waived after an injury setback. For a team that has spent years fine-tuning the back end of the roster, these kinds of decisions are rarely just procedural. They usually say something about what the Thunder think they still need, even if the full picture of how these pieces will fit is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]