Le Studio de Julie News About

Player grades: Jalen Williams helps Thunder in 119-110 win over Lakers

· Yahoo Sports

Getting the switch on Austin Reaves, Jalen Williams went right to work. He drove to the basket and bumped off him to create space. Once there was a sliver of breathing room, he pulled up for his signature mid-range jumper that swished in with less than a minute to go. Dagger.

Visit hilogame.news for more information.

The Oklahoma City Thunder picked up a much-needed 119-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. It snapped a two-game losing streak as they continue to navigate temporary life without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

To start, the Thunder played their defensive style. The Lakers coughed up the ball every other possession. It allowed OKC to get some desperately-needed swagger. They had a 31-30 lead after the first quarter. Don't worry, though. Eventually, the scoreboard reflected what happened on the court.

Creating separation, the Thunder scored 14 consecutive points in the second frame. After Marcus Smart failed to cash in on a pull-up 3-pointer, Chet Holmgren grabbed the miss and went all the way to the cup on the other end for the impressive fastbreak bucket.

That opened up a 52-38 lead for the Thunder with over six minutes left in the second quarter. Even though Gilgeous-Alexander's absence leaves a galaxy-sized hole on both sides, the rest of the group did just enough to create the double-digit advantage.

Alas, the Lakers responded. On a minute's restriction, Reaves began to take apart OKC's defense. He made a high-difficulty 3-pointer in front of Lu Dort's face. Los Angeles' offense picked up the pace. The Thunder scored 36 points in the second quarter but entered halftime with just a 67-58 lead.

The second half saw the Thunder fall apart similarly to their loss to the Houston Rockets. Once the offensive creativity dried up, a lack of a go-to scorer resulted in a dry spell. The Lakers took advantage as LeBron James turned back the clock.

James would slash through OKC's defense and kick it out to Los Angeles' role players. When the 41-year-old didn't do that, he bulled his way into the post against their smaller defenders. You even saw him have a couple of throwback transition jams that had the crowd hyped.

The Thunder started the second half on the wrong side of a 29-15 run. Jaxson Hayes was sponfed several buckets as his rolls to the rim created easy looks. In an 87-82 deficit with a little over four minutes left in the third quarter, it felt like the game was slipping away for OKC.

The Thunder salvaged some of it with 26 points in the third quarter. Alex Caruso made the buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give them a surprising 93-91 lead through three. After it felt like they were on the cusp of a loss, the scoreboard actually said they were slightly ahead in a close contest.

Both teams went back and forth to start the final frame. As the Thunder held a 102-99 lead with five minutes to go, we officially entered clutch time — an environment the Lakers have thrived in over the years. Usually, you'd see Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic duel it out. But injuries have sidelined both MVP candidates.

Instead, the Thunder went with a group approach to paint the final touches. Up 104-101 with under four minutes to go, Williams buried a mid-range jumper. After getting another stop, Jaylin Williams swished in a critical 3-pointer on their next look. Just like that, OKC was up 109-101 with three minutes left.

James dished it out to Rui Hachimura for the big-time bucket. That made it a 113-110 game with a little over a minute left. That's when Williams sealed this game as he hunted out Reaves for the switch and went straight at him for the pull-up jumper.

The Lakers couldn't answer on the other end as James missed a big-time 3-pointer. From there, it became a foul game as Williams had a couple of free-throw trips to ice this one out. The Thunder scored 26 points in the fourth quarter to get the impressive win. Phew. No three-game losing streak — something that hasn't happened in OKC for years.

The Thunder shot 48% from the field and went 14-of-33 (42.4%) from 3. They shot 21-of-29 on free throws. They had 23 assists on 42 baskets. Seven Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Williams led the way with 23 points and three rebounds. Holmgren had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Cason Wallace finished with 12 points and six assists. Isaiah Hartenstein tallied 10 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Joe scored 19 points off the bench. Caruso helped with 17 points. Williams had 11 points and three rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Lakers shot 50% from the field and went 10-of-31 (32.3%) from 3. They shot 16-of-23 on free throws. They had 25 assists on 42 baskets. Six Lakers players scored double-digit points.

James led the way with 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Reaves had 16 points and seven assists off the bench. Smart had 19 points and three assists. Jake LaRavia stepped up for 14 points and four rebounds. Hachimura and Hayes each scored 12 points.

As long as Gilgeous-Alexander is out, all that matters is to get wins — no matter how pretty or ugly they can get. The Thunder banded together with mostly their entire roster to pull through. In a similar predicament, the Lakers have learned to play without their MVP candidate as Doncic deals with a hamstring strain.

This was a game where you flex your depth as everybody helped out. Keeping it a close contest, Williams eventually carried the Thunder to the finish line. Joe and Caruso each had their moments throughout the game to keep them ahead for most of the night. Great win as we're at the point of the season where teams are just trying to survive.

Let's look at Thunder player grades:

Jalen Williams: B-plus

Getting Deandre Ayton to gamble for the possible steal, Williams leveraged his gamble. He caught him trapped in a jail-dribble. Pumping the brakes, he created enough space to barely let off the contested short-range jumper that swished in. The 24-year-old had a flurry of buckets to seal the result.

Williams finished with 23 points on 6-of-17 shooting, three rebounds and one assist. He shot 0-of-2 from 3 and went 11-of-13 on free throws. He also had one steal.

Returning from a hamstring strain, Williams completely rewrote what folks would think of his return from a 10-game absence. He scored 10 points in the final frame in a vintage showing of his usual fourth-quarter dominance. That's something you've seldom seen this season as he's dealt with injuries.

Losing all of the progress he's made, Williams' jumper is back to square one. That was obvious from the jump when he whiffed on a layup on the opening possession. The All-NBA player still tried to sharpen it, but mostly relied on his bread and butter as he drove through Los Angeles' defense.

Eventually, Williams took advantage of the Lakers' relaxed mentality towards defense. He was able to have a busy night at the free-throw line — something he's hoped for over the years. Los Angeles' rolodex of household-name role players whose best years are behind them couldn't keep up.

In a one-possession game, Williams checked in and turned into Superman. First, he got to the cup pretty easily for the layup. That was enough of a confidence boost to nail a couple of shaky jumpers that had most folks hold their breath until the ball feathered through.

This is what the Thunder have missed in their last two games. The injury front has hit rock bottom with two-thirds of the roster dealing with something. Without a true go-to scorer, Williams provided a critical element to any successful NBA offense that OKC has missed.

Chet Holmgren: B

Collecting Williams' miss, Holmgren grabbed the offensive rebound and quickly went up for the two-handed jam. The big-time second-chance bucket kept the Thunder up by multiple possessions with a little over a minute left. The All-Star came up huge when they needed it the most.

Holmgren finished with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, 10 rebounds and two assists. He shot 1-of-2 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had two blocks and one steal.

Say what you want about Holmgren's aggressiveness as a scorer, but the Thunder always win his minutes on the floor. An advanced metrics darling, you saw the Lakers rely mostly on jumper luck to score their points. While it's flashier, it's not as sustainable as getting to the paint. That's something Los Angeles couldn't do against the league-best defense.

The Thunder dominated when Holmgren and Hartenstein were on the floor together. Because of injuries, they haven't had the runway you'd hope to see with that frontcourt duo. But last year's playoff success told you it's a championship-caliber lineup.

Playing within the flow of the offense, Holmgren smartly picked his spots. Running up the court, he received a couple of easy dunks. On one play, you even saw him grab a board and go all the way to the other end. That's something you wish happened more often, but at this point, you gotta make peace with his basketball philosophy. The results speak for themselves.

Alex Caruso: A-plus

Faking the pass, Caruso dribbled up at Hayes. As the final seconds ticked away, the 31-year-old calmly knocked down the outside jumper to end the third quarter. Returning to his first NBA home, he had one of his best games of the season to help the Thunder get the win.

Caruso finished with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting, two assists and one rebound. He shot 3-of-4 from 3 and went 0-of-1 on free throws. He also had one steal.

Every now and then, the Thunder see Caruso jump up as a scorer. You just hope it doesn't go in vain. Thankfully, it didn't happen in Los Angeles. The outside jumper fell for him. He rewarded OKC's crisp ball movement as a way to compensate for missing the NBA's best scorer.

Besides that, Caruso had a couple of savvy off-ball cuts for layups. When you play against the Lakers, those types of looks happen often. Got to take advantage of facing one of the league's worst defenses when you can. The Thunder needed some of their role players to make up for Gilgeous-Alexander's absence. He did that.

On the other end, you already know what Caruso brings to the table. One of the best disruptive defenders in the league. He had no problem taking on James in the post despite a serious size difference. Other times, he squared up with Reaves and refused to fall for his tricks. As a roamer, he disrupted Los Angeles' passing lanes.

Awesome game by Caruso. A winning role player who's won two NBA championships. This game personified that well-earned reputation. There's a reason why his advanced stats paint him as one of the more impactful role players in the league for years now.

Isaiah Joe: A-plus

Intercepting Reaves' Hail Mary save attempt, Joe found himself with an open look. Before the rest of the Lakers could even react to their teammate's goof, the 26-year-old quickly rattled in the outside jumper to add to his hot first half.

Joe finished with 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting, three rebounds and two assists. He shot 4-of-8 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws. He also had two steals.

Quickly creating a lead, Joe helped the Thunder find an offensive flow from the start. Roaming around the perimeter paid off as his teammates found him on catch-and-shoot looks. You can thank Los Angeles' defense for that. The more confident he was, the deeper his outside looks became.

On the give-and-go, Joe even maneuvered his way around James for the loud two-handed jam. He scored 16 points in the first half to help the Thunder create a double-digit advantage and eventually enter halftime with a decent-sized lead.

Can't ask for much more out of Joe. He was hot from the jump. Like a lot of NBA role players are when they hoop at Los Angeles' gym filled with celebrities. The Thunder did a great job at being aware of this and feeding him the ball until he eventually came back down to reality with a quiet second half.

Highlights:

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Jalen Williams helps Thunder in 119-110 win over Lakers

Read at source