The Oklahoma City Thunder have the best defense in the NBA and in the match against the Houston Rockets they confirmed that they are efficient even in important moments. The second semifinal of the Emirtaes NBA Cup ended with 111-96, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander&Co gave 19 points to Ausar Thompson, then the rest of the Rockets did not exceed 14 with Dillon Brooks and Jabari Smith Jr.
The Thunder had an outstanding defensive performance that limited Alperen Senguncoach Ime Udoka’s team thought, and held Fred VanVleet to 8 points with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Blocking the opponent’s fulcrum is also the game tactic that wins the tournament.
We will not hesitate to play another game like the semi-final, we have to focus on defense. If we are efficient in our half of the pitch, we always have a chance to win
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was also decisive in the attack, where he finished with 32 punts, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals.; Isaiah Hartenstein added 21 points with 8 rebounds and 2 assists while Jalen Williams scored 20, followed by Lu Dort’s 19.
The Thunder will challenge the Bucks of Giannis Antetokounmpo (increasingly motivated as a leader this season), winners of the semi-final against the Hawks, and another surprise in the NBA Cup will start with the underdogs, but against Milwaukee they will need confirm the excellent defensive effort we have made so far this season.