Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sends defiant message amid Thunder hype
10/28/2024 12:59 PM
The Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led Oklahoma City Thunder, 3-0, are one of only four NBA teams that remain undefeated three games into the regular season. Chet Holmgren is playing like a superstar; the defense has held opponents to fewer than 96 points in two of their three victories, but Gilgeous-Alexander couldn't care less about the outside noise.
After beating the Atlanta Hawks 128-104 in their home opener at the Paycom Center on Sunday, SGA revealed this when a reporter asked him about the hype surrounding Oklahoma City, per Daily Thunder's Brandon Rahbar.
"We don't care," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "When we sucked, there was talk about us sucking, and we didn't care."
For SGA, it is crucial to stick to the same approach that led to the Thunder’s evolution into one of the league's most dominant teams out of the 2024-25 gates.
"We got here because we didn't care. So, we're going to continue to not care and focus on us getting better every day," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "As long as we do that, eventually, we'll get to where we want to go. We've made strides because we've done that. So, just sticking to the program is what we're focused on."
Outscoring the Hawks 39-18 in the final frame, the Thunder nearly erased an eight-point deficit (58-50) in the final 55 seconds of the second quarter. That momentum carried over into the second half, where Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a game-high 35 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, three steals, and three blocks. Holmgren tallied 25 points, nine rebounds, six blocks, four assists, and one steal, and Jalen Williams added 20 points and nine rebounds.
Chet Holmgren pulls off wild NBA stat not seen since Anthony Davis
Chet Holmgren dominates the competition after making Oklahoma City Thunder history in the 102-87 win against the Denver Nuggets in their regular-season opener. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Thunder in scoring (28.7), Holmgren is second, averaging 23.7 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game, a feat the NBA hasn't seen since Anthony Davis in 2014, per StatMamba.
Thunder guard Alex Caruso, who played alongside Davis for four seasons with the Lakers, was asked about the Holmgren/Davis comparisons after the Thunder beat his former team, the Chicago Bulls, 114-95.
"The AD comparison is a tough one just cause AD's so accomplished where he's at in his career right now, and Chet obviously has a long way to go to match that, but I think he controls his destiny," Caruso said. "Whatever he wants to accomplish in this league, he's got it in front of him. He's got the work ethic, he's got the competitiveness."
The Thunder will have two days off before hosting the Spurs on Wednesday.
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