Josh Giddey has flourished as the principle act in Oklahoma City’s historic flogging of the NBA-leading Boston Celtics.
The Australian guard scored a season-high 25 factors and added 5 rebounds, 5 assists and two steals of their 150-117 dwelling victory.
It was the staff’s largest whole since transferring to Oklahoma City from Seattle earlier than the 2008-09 season.
And they did it with out common go-to man Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (sickness), who ranks among the many league’s leaders with 30.8 factors per sport.
Instead it was Giddey’s wizardry that took centre stage, the Australian scoring 17 third-quarter factors and – due to three-of-five three pointers – bettering his long-range taking pictures to 34 per cent this season.
That’s nearly 10 per cent higher than in his rookie marketing campaign.
“It felt contagious from the jump, we shot the lights out of it,” the 20-year-old stated.
“We flowed, moved the ball well, got good looks and made a lot of them.
“If we proceed to play like that … clearly we’re not all the time going to shoot like that, however the ideas of getting these seems and defend the way in which we did, will assist us.”
Lu Dort scored 23 points and Jalen Williams, Tre Mann and Isaiah Joe each added 21 points for the Thunder.
The Celtics allowed 40 points in the second quarter and 48 in the third, setting up their first loss of more than 16 this season and the Thunder’s first win by more than that same margin.
Boston (26-12) have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games and can be caught by Brooklyn (25-12) if they notch a 13th-straight win against Chicago on Thursday (AEDT).
Meanwhile the Thunder (16-21) remain 12th in the western conference and three wins outside the post-season play-in zone.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 55 points in a return from a one-game absence and Milwaukee defended home court against Washington 123-113, snapping the Wizards’ five-game winning streak.
Utah lost their fifth-straight game by five points or less in heartbreaking fashion, 117-115 to Sacramento.
Down by two with less than a second to play, Lauri Markkanen caught the long in-bound pass and watched his desperate three-point floater sail in.
But replays showed he had released the ball after time expired.
De’Aaron Fox’s 37 factors – 22 of these within the closing quarter, together with the match-winner – powered the Kings.
