Clemente Almanza
July 10, 2024 8:55 pm CT
As Scottie Pippen Jr. caught the inbound pass, he had two seconds to let off a turnaround corner 3-pointer that barely missed the basket at the final buzzer. The contested shot was the last hope of the contest going beyond regulation.
The Oklahoma City Thunder collected an 80-77 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in their final summer league contest at Salt Lake City. It was the last exhibition of a back-to-back-to-back at Utah before they travel to Las Vegas.
“I thought when our offense got sticky, we weren’t passing,” Utah SL head coach Kam Woods said. “When we got good, we started moving the ball. Multiple guys started touching the paint and we were able to generate better looks.”
Through the contest, it was evident both squads were on the final day of three straight games. They struggled to generate points and looked fatigued with surprising misses near the basket. The fourth quarter added fireworks to an otherwise rough watch.
Both squads exchanged baskets in the opening quarter. The Thunder exited the first frame with a 20-19 lead. The second quarter was much the same as OKC edged Memphis with a 15-13 point advantage. The Thunder entered halftime with a low-scoring 34-33 lead.
Neither team created serious distance in the third frame. The Thunder built a six-point advantage, but the Grizzlies answered back. Both were deadlocked at 18 points apiece in the third quarter. OKC entered the final frame with a slight 52-51 lead.
After struggling to score in the first three quarters, both teams turned it up in the final frame for an entertaining finish. The outside shots suddenly started to fall. Five of OKC’s eight and three of Memphis’ five outside makes occurred in this period,
Ousmane Dieng — who flipped a switch at halftime — nailed a top-of-the-key outside shot to give the Thunder a game-high 73-65 lead with less than four minutes to go. Adam Flagler kept it an eight-point advantage with a 3-pointer as a little over three minutes were left.
The Grizzlies made noise with a 9-2 run and clawed back to a two-point hole. Memphis couldn’t buy a bucket the rest of the way as GG Jackson and Pippen Jr. missed a pair of critical 3-pointers in the final seconds.
In the end, this entertaining — but ugly — summer league outing featured 21 lead changes and 11 ties with the biggest lead being a mere eight points. It personified the beauty of SL as both squads battled it out in a near-empty gym.
The Thunder shot 39% from the field and went an ugly 8-of-34 (23.5%) from 3. They had 19 assists on 28 baskets but committed 17 turnovers. Only three Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Ajay Mitchell was the Thunder’s standout performer. He had 21 points on efficient shooting. Dieng turned it around and logged in a 17-point outing. Dillon Jones struggled with his shot but stuffed the stat sheet.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies shot 40% from the field and went a cold 5-of-27 (18.5%) from 3. They had 16 assists on 28 baskets but committed 16 turnovers. Memphis’ top rookie Zach Edey sat this contest out.
Trey Jemison had 20 points and seven rebounds. Jackson totaled 18 points and eight rebounds. Pippen Jr. finished with 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting and five assists. Timmy Allen scored 17 points.
Overall, not a whole ton can be extracted from this SL contest. Both squads played with heavy legs and it felt like they played this contest out of necessity. This was the massive downside of scheduling three straight games at Utah but the extra reps outweighed the aesthetics of this last glorified scrimmage.
“Our goal was to leave Utah better than we came in and we feel like we’re doing that,” Woods said.
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Ousmane Dieng: C-minus
As cliche as it sounds, this was truly a tale of two halves for Dieng. The inconsistencies with the 21-year-old have been the main source of frustration for most fans. In his third SL trip, he should have a more stable baseline.
In 32 minutes, Dieng collected 17 points on 7-of-20 shooting, eight assists, four rebounds and four blocks. He shot 3-of-10 from 3 and committed six turnovers.
The first half was another long stretch where Dieng became translucent. He had four points on 2-of-8 shooting. It was a disappointing opening two frames that felt like he took a couple of steps back after a step forward from his performance against the Utah Jazz.
Then halftime hit and it looked like the extended break did Dieng some good. He came out much more aggressive. He sought his shot and wasn’t afraid to let it fly from deep. He had 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting in the second half to lead OKC to a close win.
When ranking his three SL games in Utah, this likely slides middle. The change of playstyle between halves is encouraging; as are the high-volume attempts. But it shouldn’t take Dieng two quarters to realize this. On the Thunder, he won’t have that luxury.
“I thought today was a really important game for him,” Woods said about Dieng. “He didn’t start the first half very well… His poise for our team is really important. He’s a third-year guy, the youngest guy on our team still.”
Ous finds Kelley in the paint 🔎 pic.twitter.com/imJE2hIH6D
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) July 10, 2024
Ousmane Dieng with the step-back 3 to extend the late lead for OKC 🔥
17 points for the 2022 11th pick… Salt Lake City Summer League on NBA TV! pic.twitter.com/mjkWeakVz5
— NBA (@NBA) July 11, 2024
Ajay Mitchell: A
Sizing up in the post, Mitchell spun right and banked in an imbalanced floater with several Grizzlies players surrounding him. The impressive trick shot showed off the 22-year-old’s hot hand.
Mitchel finished with 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting and five rebounds in 21 minutes. He went 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. After a quietly solid first two nights, the second-round rookie was loudly OKC’s best player and sole source of offense for most of the contest.
It’s tough to see Mitchell play meaningful minutes in his rookie campaign, but he might force OKC’s hand if he carries this type of production into the G League season. He’s shown the chops of being a respectable ball-handler who can fill the backup point guard role.
So nice, had to do it twice ✌️ pic.twitter.com/LfIdYUioRT
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) July 10, 2024
Spin and in 😵💫 pic.twitter.com/cjnknfpCSI
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) July 11, 2024
Dillon Jones: C
After a strong first two outings, this was a forgettable third game for Jones. Fatigue might’ve played a role as he logged heavy minutes in the first two Utah SL games.
Jones totaled seven points on 2-of-11 shooting, six rebounds, five assists and three steals in 30 minutes. He shot 1-of-6 from 3 and committed six turnovers.
The outside shot must be better if the 22-year-old wants to be an immediate contributor. He must be a respectable outside shooter as most of his looks will come from downtown on the catch-and-shoot variety.
It’ll be interesting to see how much he plays in Las Vegas. He played all three games in Utah, which means the rest of his summer league might be cut short soon.
“Right now is about gaining experience, going through the lumps, highs and lows,” Jones said about SL. “The greatest teacher in life — whether it’s basketball or whatever it is — is experience. So I think this is all about doing that. It’s almost good that I’m messing up and making mistakes now to get it out of the way.”
Keyontae Johnson: C
After his rights were renounced, Johnson is playing for a roster spot. Unlike last year, he won’t be on a two-way deal but can fill in the final standard spot. After he sat out against Utah, the 24-year-old had the most minutes off the bench versus the Grizzlies.
Johnson finished with seven points on 1-of-3 shooting, seven rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes. He went 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. He had a critical jump ball he won in the final seconds to help seal the win.
Expect Johnson to get plenty of more playing time in Las Vegas. He needs the minutes to show why he should get an NBA contract. Even if it’s not in OKC, the 24-year-old has 29 other potential landing spots to fall on.
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