The Oklahoma City Thunder were outgunned Sunday night in San Antonio, dropping Game 4 of the Western Conference finals 98-79 while playing without injured playmakers Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell.
Williams was a late scratch with left hamstring soreness, and Mitchell had been ruled out the night before because of a strained right calf. Head coach Mark Daigneault said there is still no timetable for either guard ahead of Game 5, set for Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
Missing their top two secondary ball-handlers, the Thunder shot just 33 percent from the field and 18 percent from three-point range. They failed to reach 80 points until rookie Nikola Topic converted a layup in the final minute.
“We didn’t have the sharpness, force or precision necessary to crack them,” Daigneault said. “And they were really good defensively.”
Heavy load for Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carried the offense but finished with 19 points on 6-for-15 shooting while the Spurs blanketed him with multiple defenders. The All-NBA guard got little support: Alex Caruso went scoreless, Luguentz Dort had two points, and rookie Jared McCain shot 1-for-10 for four points. Cason Wallace (2-for-8), Jaylin Williams (1-for-7) and Aaron Wiggins (2-for-11) also struggled.
“I think it’s a snowball effect,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “When you come out with the right energy, things like missing two ball-handlers work out and the offense has flow. I don’t think we came out with the right energy today.”
Finding more for Holmgren
Gilgeous-Alexander noted that Oklahoma City must involve rookie center Chet Holmgren more after Holmgren attempted only eight shots and scored 10 points. “Chet’s an easy target to find… just put him in better positions to use his strengths,” the guard said.
Despite the lopsided defeat, the Thunder return home with the series tied and the home-court edge they secured by winning Game 1 in San Antonio. “We’ve had games where things didn’t go our way and we still figured out how to win,” Holmgren said. “That’s what we have to do.”
Source: Hoops Rumors
