Cooper’s Hooper of the Night: This goes to the MVP of that night’s slate.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has to feel like damn near a lock for MVP at this point, right? The OKC Thunder took on the Cleveland Cavaliers last night in a rematch from last week’s game, a 129-122 win for the Cavs in Cleveland. The Thunder are the 1 seed in the West and the Cavs are the 1 seed in the east, so this is quite literally the best matchup the game has to offer right now. The Thunder seemed eager to prove they were the better team last night, and we’ll discuss this matchup in detail later, but for now I just want to discuss the MVP level performance that SGA put on The Thunder went on to win 134-114 last night, but the game was somehow even more of a blowout than that. The Thunder were up 119-81 after 3 quarters and were able to play all backups in the 4th quarter, so keep in mind that the following stats from SGA were through 3 quarters. SGA shot 17-26 from the field on his way to a very efficient 40 points, 8 assists and 2 steals.He did this all in less than 30 minutes and would have been on his way to 50 points if the Cavs could have played the Thunder close. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a very similar game to Jalen Brunson, my Hooper of the Night from 1/15, in that they don’t shoot a ton of 3s like most guards in their generation. Rather, Shai uses a series of dribbles along with acceleration and deceleration to get to his spots, stopping on a dime to take his signature SGA mid-range jumpers. Then, the defense gets so scared of his mid-range jumper that they start to let him just drive by them for easy layups. Because he is able to start and stop so effectively, his drives to the basket often look exactly like his mid range jump shot attempts, up until the moment he doesn’t decide to stop. It’s this level of unpredictability that makes him arguably the league’s best, most consistent scorer today, despite the fact that opposing defenses are designed purely to stop him from scoring. I watched last night as SGA got bucket after bucket, making it look easy the whole time. Keep in mind that again, this is against a Cleveland team that, like the Thunder, is also on pace to win 70 games this year. For those of you that don’t know, the NBA season is 82 games, so these aren’t just the best teams in each conference, but teams that are putting themselves in the all time good teams discussion. SGA had the Cavs defenders begging for mercy, shoutout Amy Winehouse.

The “Holy Shit” Play of the Night.

Pascal Siakam Picture-Esque Fadeaway

The Pacers ended up getting the win last night, but the Pistons made it a very close game late. The Pacers are inbounding the ball, up by 7, but with only 1 second left on the shot clock. Indiana will only have time to get up a quick jump shot; if you take a dribble, they will turnover the ball due to the shot clock expiring. Tyrese Haliburton is inbounding the ball and throws a pass to the left side elbow in a spot that only Pascal Siakam can get, much like a quarterback that makes a back shoulder throw to a receiver running down the sideline. Pascal catches the pass, turns around, and ices a fadeaway that was so fresh and so clean, that the Andre 3000 look a like (Halloween costume as him below) had to be thinking that nobody was as dope as him. Pascal put up a stat line of 26 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals en route to a Pacers win.

“Teach Your Kids to Play Like This Guy” Player of the Night: Player who may not have a ton of points, but impacts winning.

Alex Caruso

Alex Caruso only ended up playing 13 minutes last night, partly because he is coming back from an injury but partially because he was a big part of why the Thunder blew out the Cavaliers last night. His stat line is one you can easily gloss over if you were going to look at the box score: 10 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound on only 3 shot attempts. Caruso is my “Teach Your Kids to Play Like This Guy” Player of the Night because he had 3 steals in only 13 minutes, adding to the Thunder’s overall 12 steals last night. They forced 12 Cavalier’s turnovers in the 1st half that turned into 22 points in transition. These are easy layups and wide open 3 pointers because the Thunder have a numbers advantage every time they force a turnover, pushing the ball down the court with speed to get ahead of the Cavs defense. On offense, Caruso shot 3-3 from the field, including making both of his 3-point attempts and a wide-open dunk he got from cutting off the ball to the basket. You are never going to see Alex Caruso break down his defender off the dribble like SGA does, but what Caruso does is take what the defense gives to him, make simple, smart plays and only take a shot if it’s in the flow of the offense. There was a time in the 3rd quarter where Caruso had the chance to take a 3 pointer from the right wing but made 1 more pass to sharpshooter Isaiah Joe in the corner, which Joe proceeded to make. There are also plays he won’t get a stat for that were essential to the offense of the Thunder. Caruso is one of the few guards in the league who will set on ball screens, a task that is normally reserved for the 7 footers on the team. When Caruso does this, it confuses the defense every time, causing them to react differently compared to a normal screen and roll with a center. He draws so much gravity rolling to the rim, despite him being just 6’5, that opposing defenses take just an extra step further away from their man as the help defender. The ball handlers see this, pass the ball to the off ball offensive player, who then proceeds to hit the wide open 3. There is no glory for Caruso in that stat sheet for a play like this, but an NBA nerd like myself absolutely loves it when he makes plays like this. Nobody will ever confuse Alex Caruso for a superstar, but there is no denying that he has a huge impact on winning.

Numbers Sometimes Lie Player of the Night (could be good or bad): Player who’s stat line least matches tier actual impact.

Andrew Nembhard

Andrew Nembhard played a team high 41 minutes for the Pacers last night, despite this being the stat line at the end of the game: 12 points on 4-11 shooting, 0-3 from 3, and 3 turnovers. He did add 6 rebounds and 4 assists, which are solid numbers but nothing you would write home about. The real reason why Nembhard played so much was not because of his offensive impact, but what he was doing on defense. He was tasked with guarding Cade Cunningham most of the night, the Piston’s former number 1 overall pick that is having the best season of his career and will almost certainly be an all-star. The Pistons offense starts and ends with Cunningham, as he does a great job of not only finding his own shots, but also creating shots for the rest of his teammates who are not nearly as capable and creating good looks for themselves. Nembhard did an outstanding job on Cade, limiting the Pistons to just 100 points in a Pacers win. For comparison, the Pistons typically score 112 points a night, so they really made it tough for Detroit to get going. Cade in particular shot 7-21 from the field, bananas considering he usually shoots 9-20, AKA 46 percent compared to last night’s 33. Cade did rack up 9 assists, but also turned over the ball 7 times, so it damn near negated all the assists he made. Nembhard was in Cade’s face all night, making him have to work hard for every single possession. Andrew Nembhard stats may not have been eye popping at first glance, but the Pistons would not have won last night without him, so great job Andrew.

Clutch Player of the Night: Player who performed their best in the biggest moments.

In what was the best game of last night’s slate, the Sacramento Kings beat the Houston Rockets 132-127 in an offensive shootout. Both teams scored 42 points in the 4th quarter, as they played an offensive tug of war, matching each other shot for shot like 2 best friends going down to the Gaslamp. The Rockets normally are a good defensive team, so when they started hitting shots, I was certain that they would find a way to stop the Kings and come away with a road win. They even got Kings star center Domantas Sabonis to foul out of the game with a couple of minutes left, making it even harder for the Kings to score. However, the Kings have 2 of the game’s best 4th quarter players in De’Aaron Fox and DeMar DeRozan, with last night being DeRozan’s turn to put his clutch skills on display. He scored 16 points in the 4th quarter, hitting timely mid-range jump shots late in what has become his signature move. He takes a couple of dribbles in from the 3-point line, then rises and fades on a shot that always seems like it’s going to miss, until it doesn’t. I had a coach tell me one time that if you get really good at it, the mid-range jumper is essentially a layup, something that DeMar proves time and time again. Just when it seemed like the Kings offense was stalling out, they would get the ball to DeRozan, who would hit a clutch mid-range jumper, often with just a few seconds left on the shot clock. While obviously the player I’m about to name is better than DeRozan, his mid-range game reminds me a lot of Kobe Bryant, may he rest in peace. This makes a lot of sense if you know DeRozan, a man that was born in Compton, California, which he made very clear earlier this year when he was in Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” music video. He clearly grew up watching a lot of Kobe, and it shows in how masterful he is from the mid-range. Anytime the Rockets appeared to be poised to get a stop and take the lead, DeMar made a shot, which is why he is my Clutch Player of the Night.

The Well-Oiled Machine Team of the Night: Team that played the best from start to finish.

The Thunder came out hungry last night, beating a Cavaliers team with 2 elite big men despite the fact that both of the Thunder’s centers were out last night. How did they do this? Well for starters, they made 8 of their first 14 3-point attempts; it got to the point where I was more shocked when they missed. Take out the 4th quarter 3-point misses when the game was already decided, and the Thunder shot 43% on the night from 3, a number that will win you most games. While this is great, I don’t think it’s the main reason they won last night. The main reason the Thunder won last night is the main reason that they have won games all season: By playing aggressive perimeter defense and forcing turnovers, which in turn creates fast break opportunities that lead to easy points. As I mentioned earlier, the Cavaliers finished the 1st half with 12 turnovers, having allowed 22 points on those turnovers. Considering the Cavs, the league’s best offensive team, usually only turn over the ball 13 times an entire game, this was a complete domination by the Thunder’s guards. The Cavs finished the game with 21 turnovers, a number that almost doesn’t seem real based on how they have played this year. The Thunder also prevented the Cavs lead guard and best player, Donovan Mitchell, from getting anything going. Mitchell shot 3-15 from the field and only scored 8 points, the only time all season that he has been held to single digits. Furthermore, the Cavs just seemed like they had to work their ass off for every shot they got, with the Thunder never easing off the gas defensively. It was a challenge just to get into their offense, and even when they were able to get a play going, the Thunder help defense was right there any time a Cav managed to find themselves open. Last night was a defensive masterclass by Oklahoma City, a big reason why they are viewed as the favorites in the West.

The Tom Petty “Won’t Back Down” Team of the Night: Team that fought hard in 2nd half to make game close or straight up win.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards weren’t able to pull off the comeback in this one, as they lost 130-123 to the Phoenix Suns. However, for a team that is by far the worst team in the league this year, I am super impressed that they did not quit. The Suns were up by 21 points in the 4th quarter, looking like they were going to cruise their way to an easy win. I was thinking about turning the game off to focus more on the Pistons-Pacers game going on, but I decided to keep it on for a little bit longer, which I’m glad I did. The Wizards got stops against a Suns team that earns its keep on offense, holding them to 6-19 shooting from the field and 3-9 from deep in the 4th quarter. The effort this team was giving, considering the season they have been having so far, was unbelievable. Nobody would have blamed the Wizards for bowing out of this one and putting in the backups, but they kept fighting and getting stops. This included a 3-minute stretch late where they went on an 11-0 run, led by forcing Suns turnovers and misses, which led to easy opportunities on the other end. Speaking of scoring, the Wizards shot 15-27 in the 4th quarter, including 5-11 from beyond the arc. This effort was led by rookie Kyshawn George, who had a career night last night. I tweeted about him a couple of times yesterday, in part because last night showed just how much potential he has in this league. I believe he will be a player in the league for a long time and has an offensive game that reminds me a lot of Joe Ingles, a player who has played 12 seasons so far. George has a silky-smooth offensive game, high IQ, and a nice jump shot to match. This was on full display last night, scoring a career high 24 points on 8-10 shooting, including 6-8 from 3-point land. He also finished with 4 assists, a part of his game that seems to be slowly improving as he gets more playing time. Corey Kispert was making smart plates, cutting off ball and using the threat of his 3-point shot to get his other teammates open. With a minute left, this game was 120-117, the Wizards 1 possession away from tying things up. Devin Booker proceeded to hit a 3, which made this a 6 point game, and when Alex Sarr took an ill-advised step back 3 that missed, this game was all but over. These are plays that Sarr and the rest of the Wizards will learn from, as they are one of the younger teams in the league. They are going to be better next season, especially if they find a way to get Cooper Flagg in the draft, but for now, you have to be satisfied with the effort last night if you are a Wizards fan.

The “There’s Always Next Game” Team of the Night: Team that came out with no juice.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The other side of the massacre that took place in OKC last night. You could tell early in this one the direction that the game was going, and there was nothing the Cavs were going to be able to do about it. I don’t think this is a game that necessarily makes me panic if I am a Cavs fan, but you do have to look at why this happened. The main reason they lost was because the Thunder’s perimeter defenders were making life a living hell on Donvan Mitchell, a guy who should make All-NBA this year. Seeing that the Knicks and Celtics have strong perimeter defenders of their own out East, it will be important to find ways to get Mitchell easier looks against teams like this going forward. Personally, I think the answer will need to be increasing the number of times that Evan Mobley brings the ball up the court, allowing Mitchell to move around off ball and scheming up plays to get him the ball off the catch, where he can just go downhill and attack the defense with some momentum. Mobley has improved as a ball handler and scorer this year, so I think that you can trust him to play point-forward at times to get Mitchell some easier looks. You also want to save Mitchell’s energy for late in games, and putting less pressure on him early by increasing Mobley’s usage would be a great way to do so. This would also solve the way the Thunder were able to trap Mobley with 2 defenders down in the post throughout the game last night, something that is an OKC specialty. Since they are an undersized team, they love to swarm opposing bigs down low. There are a couple of reasons the Thunder do this. First, they have so much speed and intelligence defensively on the perimeter that even if the big man is able to find the open man with a pass, the Thunder are able to recover in time to the point that doubling the big man doesn’t punish them. And if the big man is unable to find the open player? They often take an extra beat to try to process what they are seeing, which is where the Thunder are able to strip the big and create fast break opportunities that lead to easy points. If Mobley brings the ball up, I highly doubt they will double him on the perimeter. If they do, it gives Mobley a better passing angle to get the ball out to one of his guards, who will then be set up in a 4-3 situation where they are attacking downhill. Furthermore, should they choose to single cover Mobley on the perimeter, he is good enough to either A: get past his defender and finish at the rim or B: Initiate the offensive set and get the ball to 1 of his guards with some momentum. That would be my situation going forward for when Cleveland plays teams with excellent perimeter defense, as Mobley is ready for that type of responsibility. So Cavs fans, don’t sweat this tough loss, you are still an excellent team that just so happened to run into a highly motivated and highly disciplined Thunder team that was going to beat whoever was in front of them last night. While the loss was disappointing, they still are my favorites in the East as of this moment.