Top Performers: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Returns, Vit Krejci Emerges in Loss

With the return of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder's guard play was on full display, including a second-round rookie.

Fresh off a week-long All-Star break, the Oklahoma City Thunder returned from their hiatus to face the league-best Phoenix Suns. In the venture, the Thunder fell on the short end of the stick – burning to the Suns 124-104.

After entering the fourth frame up six, the Suns caught some heat from the floor, burying 14-of-19 tries to post a 39-27 closing statement.

Following 10 games of absence, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returned to the lineup for Oklahoma City while Lu Dort, who averaged a team-high 22.3 points in his absence, was inactive for play.

The Thunder pitched forth a valiant effort Thursday evening finishing the first half of play down 48-45 while starring around the cup for 68 points in the paint.

Here were the top performers from Thursday’s contest:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Alonzo Adams / USA Today

As aforementioned, Gilgeous-Alexander returned to the rotation after nearly a month of absence – recovering from a right ankle sprain. In his return, the 23-year-old returned to his star status.

Splitting ball-handling reps with rookie Josh Giddey, SGA came into his own around the basket, serving out an 11-of-14 plate around the plate. In all, the Kentucky alum tacked on a game-high 32 points on a 13-of-22 output to tag with five assists.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s role has been interior-oriented all season, as with a 27.6% clip from distance, his best work has come slashing to the rack. As a penetrator, he proved, yet again, why he’s one of the top dogs as a finisher. However, his third level failed to surface, shooting 1-of-5 from distance.

Josh Giddey

Alonzo Adams / USA Today

For Josh Giddey, his three-game streak of triple-doubles came to an end Thursday. But, the Rookie of the Year level of production remained a constant at Paycom Center.

Across 37 minutes, Giddey caught his stride in the pick-and-roll to douse 15 points (7-of-15 FG), nine rebounds, and six assists.

The 19-year-old rookie stayed true to his colors living off of high-ball screens to both collect assists and sting the Suns off his hallmarked runner. In the evening, Giddey tallied five buckets around the basket with four shots coming in the 10-foot range.

As noted by Head Coach Mark Daigneault in his postgame presser, Giddey is expected to take an uptick as an initiator within the offense, with Gilgeous-Alexander taking additional off-ball reps.

Vit Krejci

Alonzo Adams / USA Today

The cards have been set in place for a while with rookie Vit Krejci. Thursday, he made out like a bandit.

Krejci, the Thunder’s No. 37 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, has been within the Thunder organization since last January, rehabbing under a G League deal. In the Czech's rehab, he attended home games, and appeared at teammates’ birthday parties over the summer. However, since inking a four-year deal with Oklahoma City – Krejci has been rather quiet at the NBA level – instead playing for the OKC Blue.

Two weeks removed from recovering from an ankle injury, Krejci added a spark off the bench posting a career-high eight points, two rebounds, and one assist on a 3-of-4 clip (2-of-2 3PT.) In his 20 minutes of play, the guard made headway off-the-catch, though his defensive awareness was a slight knock. The silver lining – Krejci has been a key defensive piece for the Blue this season.

As a 6-foot-8 point guard, Krejci hands Daigneault an additional crafty passer who has shown signs both cutting to rack and spotting up. At just 21 years old, Krejci fits right into Sam Presti’s blueprint. And, with a high level of passing IQ – he’s a fun addition to rotations with Giddey and Aleksej Pokusevski.

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