Ousmane Dieng scores career-high 17 points to lead Thunder past Spurs
Jalen Williams kicked the ball to Ousmane Dieng, who confidently splashed a 3-pointer to pay off the rookie-to-rookie connection.
Williams has been the Thunder’s standout rookie, but Sunday night in San Antonio it was Dieng’s turn.
Dieng, drafted 11th overall, one spot ahead of Williams, sparked the Thunder in its 102-90 grind-it-out win against the Spurs.
Dieng scored a career-high 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting. He also grabbed a career-high eight rebounds.
Like most rookies, Dieng has been prone to floating — getting lost in the periphery of the game. But not on Sunday.
Dieng played with force, which is what the Thunder is trying to harness from the 19-year-old Frenchman.
Early in the second quarter, Dieng put his head down and drove to the rim, where he finished with a two-handed slam. It was an awfully fluid move for a 6-foot-10 forward.
The Thunder, as evidenced from going 2-0 on this back-to-back, has threaded the needle of developing a player like Dieng while also keeping pace in the play-in push.
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Jalen and Jaylin Williams
Santa Clara Williams got off to a clunky start, but he captained the Thunder down the stretch.
Jalen Williams hit the dagger 3-pointer to give the Thunder an 11-point lead with under two minutes remaining.
Williams wasn’t as efficient as usual (7-of-18 shooting), but had his hands in everything, scoring 21 points with 10 assists and seven rebounds. The Thunder outscored the Spurs by 15 points with Williams on the floor.
Arkansas Williams was pretty good, too. The Thunder rookie center had a career-high four steals while notching two more drawn charges. He now leads the NBA in that category.
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Dario Saric sparks bench
The Thunder scored 10 points in the final two minutes of the first quarter.
Dario Saric sparked the offensive burst.
Saric threw a laser pass out of the post to find Dieng for a corner 3-pointer, and then Saric nailed a 3-pointer of his own on the Thunder’s next possession.
Aided by Saric, who had 10 points and seven rebounds, the Thunder’s bench outscored the Spurs’ bench 40-29.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sits on second night of back-to-back
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was out Sunday night in San Antonio as the Thunder managed his abdominal strain on the second night of a back-to-back.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 35 points on 11-of-23 shooting in the Thunder’s 110-96 win at New Orleans on Saturday night. SGA was 13-of-13 from the free throw line.
The Thunder has played two back-to-backs in the last week, and Gilgeous-Alexander missed the second end of both.
OKC has two back-to-backs remaining: March 23 and 24 at the Clippers and Lakers and March 28 and 29 versus the Hornets and Pistons.
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Thunder tip-ins
- The Spurs were missing leading scorer Keldon Johnson (left foot soreness), starting point guard Tre Jones (non-COVID illness) and a third starter in rookie Jeremy Sochan (right knee soreness).
- The Thunder improved to 6-2 on Sundays.
- OKC swept San Antonio 3-0 in the season series.
- The Thunder is 79-143 during its rebuild (since 2020-21 season). The Spurs are 84-137 during that same stretch, and OKC has made the playoffs more recently than has San Antonio.
- Spurs center Zach Collins hit a 3-pointer early in the third quarter to tie the game 59-59. OKC had led by as many as 17 points.
- The Thunder responded to Collins’ three with a 10-0 run, capped by 3-pointers from Josh Giddey and Lu Dort.
- Collins led the Spurs with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Devonte’ Graham had 20 points, three rebounds and three assists.
- OKC won despite shooting 38% from the field, including 26% from 3-point range.
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Tre Mann and Jared Butler were all DNPs (coach’s decision).
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ousmane Dieng scores career-high 17 points to lead Thunder past Spurs
