‘Got to get back to ourselves’: SGA talks Thunder’s recent defensive struggles ahead of NYE game
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander highlights the Oklahoma City Thunder’s recent defensive issues despite their top NBA ranking and recent wins.
NOW. KOCO 5 SPORTS. SHOW. OFFENSIVELY MONDAY NIGHT WAS JUST ABOUT PERFECTION FOR THE REIGNING MVP SHAE GILGEOUS ALEXANDER. MY MAN WAS SPECTACULAR. SCORED 39 POINTS, MADE 15 OF HIS 24 SHOTS FROM THE FLOOR. AND OF COURSE, OKLAHOMA CITY WON THE GAME AGAINST THE ATLANTA HAWKS. THEY BEAT THEM BY 11 140 TO 129. SO THERE YOU GO. IT’S MORE LIKE IT, RIGHT? TWO STRAIGHT WINS FOR OKC AFTER THE BACK TO BACK GAMES WHERE YOU DIDN’T WIN FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SEASON. AND I THINK THIS IS ALWAYS KIND OF A FUN WEEK IN OKLAHOMA CITY. THE TRADITION THE NEW YEAR’S EVE GAME AT OKLAHOMA CITY, THEY HOST THE PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS COMING UP ON NEW YEAR’S EVE. SO THIS IS THIS IS THE DEAL FOR FOR OKLAHOMA CITY. THIS IS WHAT WE’RE GOING TO BE WATCHING RIGHT. IT’S THEIR CALLING CARD DEFENSE DEFENSE DEFENSE. IT’S WHAT THEY DO. RECENTLY THOUGH. THAT PLAY TO THEIR STANDARD LAST COUPLE WEEKS OF LEARNING. WE GOT TO GET BACK TO OURSELVES DEFENSIVELY. IF WE WANT TO WIN BIG IN THIS LEAGUE, A CLEAR AND CONCISE MESSAGE FROM THE MVP SHEA GILGEOUS ALEXANDER. THAT’S WHERE WE’VE HUNG OUR HAT WHEN IT’S MATTERED MOST AND BEEN ABLE TO GET THE JOB DONE. WE CAN’T LET THAT SLIP. IF WE WANT TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS. THE THUNDER ARE STILL NUMBER ONE IN THE NBA, ALLOWING ABOUT 108 POINTS PER GAME. IT’S THE FEWEST IN THE LEAGUE, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN UNRECOGNIZABLE RECENTLY, ALLOWING 129 POINTS ON MONDAY NIGHT AND GIVING UP AT LEAST 117 POINTS IN THREE OF THE LAST FOUR GAMES, WHICH HAPPENED ONLY FOUR TIMES IN THE FIRST 29 GAMES OF THE SEASON. AND TWO OF THOSE FOUR WERE IN DOUBLE OVERTIME. IT’S A TWO GAME SEASON. IT’S IT’S A LOT OF BASKETBALL TO TO STAY AT AN OPTIMAL LEVEL. BUT WHEN YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, THEN YOU CAN RECONNECT TO THAT MORE QUICKLY. AND AND YOU KNOW WHEN YOU’RE NOT THERE IN THE LAST FOUR GAMES, THE THREE POINT LINE AND TORCHED IN THE FIRST HALF, ALLOWING 58 AND 69 POINTS IN THE TWO GAMES AGAINST THE SPURS. 62 FIRST HALF POINTS ON SUNDAY TO THE SIXERS AND 74 POINTS IN THE FIRST HALF AGAINST THE HAWKS. THEY MADE A LOT OF SHOTS, BUT THEY ALSO GOT A LOT OF EASY STUFF, ESPECIALLY IN THE FIRST HALF. THAT’S NOT THE RECIPE TO TO WIN BIG, BUT THEY DID WIN ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT THANKS TO A MASSIVE RUN IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF BOTH GAMES. BUT SGA IS RIGHT WITH THOSE WORDS OF WARNING THAT IS NOT THE RECIPE TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE’RE NOT HAVING TO FLIP A SWITCH AND WE CAN BE A LITTLE MORE CONSISTENT. YOU KNOW, SOME OF THAT IS, YOU KNOW, THESE OTHER TEAMS ARE PLAYING WELL AGAINST US. YOU KNOW, THEY’RE THROWING SOME SHOTS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY MIGHT NOT MAKE, LIKE A BANKED IN THREE OR A LEFT HANDED THREE AT THE HALF. THAT’S BEEN KIND OF THE MARK OF THE LAST TWO NIGHTS. WE HAVEN’T BEEN PERFECT. IT HASN’T BEEN A MASTERPIECE, BUT WE KIND OF KNOW WHO WE WANT TO BE. AND WHEN WE’RE NOT THERE, WE’VE DONE A GOOD JOB IN GAME OF OF RECONNECTING TO THAT IN BOTH THE PHILLY GAME YESTERDAY AND THE ATLANTA GAME TONIGHT. THEY’RE STILL WINNING. THAT END OF THE FLOOR. HERE YOU GO THUNDER BLAZERS NEW YEAR’S EVE THURSDA
‘Got to get back to ourselves’: SGA talks Thunder’s recent defensive struggles ahead of NYE game
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander highlights the Oklahoma City Thunder’s recent defensive issues despite their top NBA ranking and recent wins.
Updated: 10:35 PM CST Dec 30, 2025
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a clear and concise message about the Oklahoma City Thunder’s need to address their recent defensive struggles despite maintaining the No. 1 spot in the NBA for allowing the fewest points per game. “The last couple weeks, we’ve learned we’ve got to get back to ourselves defensively if we want to win big in this league,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.The Thunder have been allowing about 108 points per game, but recently they have been unrecognizable, allowing 129 points on Monday night and giving up at least 117 points in three of the last four games, a situation that only occurred four times in the first 29 games of the season, with two of those games going into double overtime.>> Download the KOCO 5 App | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channelIn the last four games, the Thunder have been torched at the three-point line and in the first half, allowing 58 and 69 points in two games against the Spurs, 62 points on Sunday to the Sixers, and 74 points in the first half against the Hawks.Despite these defensive challenges, the Thunder managed to win on Sunday and Monday night, thanks to a massive run in the third quarter of both games. The Thunder will take on the Blazers at 7 p.m. New Year’s Eve at the Paycom Center.
OKLAHOMA CITY —
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a clear and concise message about the Oklahoma City Thunder’s need to address their recent defensive struggles despite maintaining the No. 1 spot in the NBA for allowing the fewest points per game.
“The last couple weeks, we’ve learned we’ve got to get back to ourselves defensively if we want to win big in this league,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
The Thunder have been allowing about 108 points per game, but recently they have been unrecognizable, allowing 129 points on Monday night and giving up at least 117 points in three of the last four games, a situation that only occurred four times in the first 29 games of the season, with two of those games going into double overtime.
>> Download the KOCO 5 App | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel
In the last four games, the Thunder have been torched at the three-point line and in the first half, allowing 58 and 69 points in two games against the Spurs, 62 points on Sunday to the Sixers, and 74 points in the first half against the Hawks.
Despite these defensive challenges, the Thunder managed to win on Sunday and Monday night, thanks to a massive run in the third quarter of both games.
The Thunder will take on the Blazers at 7 p.m. New Year’s Eve at the Paycom Center.