The Thunder may be the second-youngest team in the NBA and one of the least experienced, but don’t for a second think that their fast start to this season isn’t real.
Just ask the Knicks, who watched Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams combine for 72 points Wednesday night lifting the Thunder to a 129-120 win.
The explosive OKC duo of SGA and Jalen Williams combined for 72 PTS in the Thunder's win over the Knicks 🌩️
— NBA (@NBA) December 28, 2023
SGA: 36 PTS, 8 AST, 7 REB
Jalen: 36 PTS, 5 3PM, 76% FG pic.twitter.com/nFcOEapW3c
Williams took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 of his points in the frame and sparking a late run that helped the Thunder pull away.
“Just shooting open shots,” Williams said, via the Associated Press. “Trying to pick my spots a little more carefully. Me and Chet had a really good two-man thing going on, two-man action, for a lot of those plays. The game’s easier when you make shots, so I was able to hit a couple and that allowed me to be able to drive and opened up things for Chet to have space to do his thing as well.”
New York got 25 points from Julius Randle and 24 from Jalen Brunson never led after the opening minutes. Chet Holmgren added 22 for the Thunder.
Some growth is still needed with this young Thunder team on the biggest of stages, and maybe a little more shooting and depth can be added to the roster. However, this squad feels like it is just a couple of years away from being a force of nature few in this league can beat. They are already outstanding.
