Top Performers: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Returns to Prominence Against Wizards

Following an eight-point outing, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander starred in the Thunder's narrow defeat to the Wizards.

The Oklahoma City Thunder swung their losing streak to five Tuesday evening, failing to close out a nailbiter in the nation’s capital – sliding to the Washington Wizards 122-118.

Paint play reigned supreme during the course of play as both sides exchanged 64 points in the paint, respectively. For the Thunder, their 64-point effort marked a season-high in points in the paint.

After a bench-centric outing on Sunday, the Thunder’s starting core ramped up the heat to begin their road trip.

Here were the top performers from Tuesday’s matchup:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports

It took all of nine minutes for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to eclipse his previous point-total of eight from two nights ago. Better yet, once the former Wildcat got things going, there was no signs of stopping him.

Gilgeous-Alexander got where he wanted, exactly when he wanted to versus the Wiz. After a season-low eight-point showing on Sunday, SGA pressed onto the gas pedal for instant offense around the basket. In all, the 23-year-old scrapped out 10 of his 13 made field goals in the paint, calling for over 30% of the team's total interior effort.

SGA’s final statline saw the guard appear everywhere as he accrued a game-high 32 points, three rebounds, and eight assists across 35 minutes while also keeping OKC in striking distance with two layups in the closing two minutes.

Perimeter play was non-existent for the guard on Tuesday, shooting a lowly two times from distance. Though, his red-hot penetration game coupled with a 5-of-6 hit rate at the line more than made up the distance. 

Josh Giddey

Tommy Gilligan / USA Today

Josh Giddey's passing game has been the center of attention since the season began for the Thunder, and the topic remained the same in D.C.

The 19-year-old’s collection of million dollar passes with ten cent finishes continued to stack Tuesday evening as with a plethora of fastbreak passes and cross-court heaves, collective astonishment permeated through the Capital One Arena.

For the Aussie, his 36 minutes of run saw him chatter with a double-double as he raked in 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists. Above all else though, Giddey was dominant inside, capping the night with 12 points in the paint.

The only sour note from the 6-foot-8 guard rested from deep range as he pushed a 2-of-6 clip from outside. However, Giddey did a solid job with dabbling in on-ball creation for outside, pulling out his newfound stepback for a pair of attempts.

Darius Bazley

Tommy Gilligan / USA Today

When Darius Bazley was relegated to the bench last month, it looked as though the 21-year-old was on the downhill spiral in regards to the rotation. Though, on Tuesday, the forward’s streak of solid performances rolled on.

Baze locked his crosshairs around the cup for the grander portion of the run, setting the table for the point forward to eat upon high-quality looks inside. Once his initial sets of cuts were in play, he caught his groove from the three-point line, hitting the team’s first three-ball while sitting atop a 2-of-4 stash at the buzzer.

Baze ended his 30-minute slate leading the bench with 14 points, nine rebounds, and one assist. The forward’s high-octane play was evident on Tuesday as he flushed down multiple jams before stuffing a Corey Kispert poster attempt while flat-footed.

Given Bazley’s recent success, Mark Daigneault will have an enticing decision in whether or not the 21-year-old’s minute uptick will become a constant.

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