Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is stepping up his already otherworldly game to keep the injury-depleted Oklahoma City Thunder competitive. He’ll attempt to continue his impressive stretch when the Thunder visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday in NBA Cup group play.
The two-time defending NBA Most Valuable Player has led the Thunder to consecutive victories with back-to-back 40-point games. After dropping in 43 points on Monday at Cleveland, he scored 42 on Wednesday, also against the Cavaliers.
With the team missing injured starters Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren, Gilgeous-Alexander has made it a point to assume an even larger offensive role.
On Monday, he tied a career high with 35 shot attempts. He attempted nine fewer shots Wednesday in his team’s 124-116 victory but nearly matched Monday’s point total.
“I needed to have better personal energy,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of his recent output. “I had to get my mind on what I could control and where we are as a team and where my feet were.”
Williams and Wallace have undergone recent surgeries, Williams on his left ankle and Wallace on his left shoulder. Holmgren has been slowed by a right knee injury.
Oklahoma City lost back-to-back games to the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets last week before winning two straight.
“We’re not looking for sympathy,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “This group has to compete every night no matter who is available.”
Center Isaiah Hartenstein said the team has taken a no-excuses mentality regarding its injury issues.
“I think we’re at a point where the stuff has all kind of sunk in now,” he said. “We’re ready to move forward, ready to get back to the way we want to play.”
While Memphis hasn’t dealt with as many injuries in the first few weeks of the season, it has stumbled recently because of an inability to hold onto the basketball. In their past three games, the Grizzlies have turned the ball over 53 times, resulting in 66 points for the opposition.
They have lost two straight after opening the season with six straight wins.
“There seem to be all types of turnovers,” Memphis coach Tuomas Iisalo said. “Some of our passes have been late, other (turnovers) have been directly off the dribble where we didn’t handle ball pressure very well.”
In Wednesday’s 107-103 loss to the Indiana Pacers, the Grizzlies led by five with 6:17 to go in the fourth quarter before faltering. The Pacers went on an 11-2 run to build a 97-93 lead with 3:47 left. Ty Jerome’s floater with 28.2 seconds to go cut Memphis’ deficit to 104-103, but a 3-pointer by Aaron Nesmith 14 seconds later clinched the win for Indiana.
Memphis lost 135-134 in overtime on Monday to the visiting New Orleans Pelicans.
“We’ve got to be better,” Iisalo said. “That’s part of the learning process for us. But I will say this. We are drawing the best shot from our opponents right now. That’s great for us in the long term because that allows us to develop.”
