Postseason-hungry Thunder 'understand what's at stake' after narrow loss to Hornets

Jalen Williams stretched out the neckline of his jersey in frustration as he looked at the scoreboard.

It read 137-134 in favor of the Charlotte Hornets with zeros on the clock.

Williams’ 3-point heave at the buzzer rimmed out, sealing the Oklahoma City Thunder's narrow loss at Paycom Center on Tuesday. It’s a heartbreaking defeat for OKC, which mounted a late comeback after trailing by 13 points midway through the fourth quarter.

“The resilience was really good,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “The execution, especially defensively, could’ve been better. We could’ve slammed the door on some of those possessions, but not for a lack of effort.”

The loss to the Hornets (26-51) stings more than usual considering its playoff implications.

OKC hopes to make its first postseason appearance since 2020. But its loss to Charlotte, which has the fourth-worst record in the league, gives the Thunder the same record as the Dallas Mavericks (37-39). However, OKC owns the tiebreaker for the Western Conference’s final play-in spot.

“You’ve got to understand the energy that they’re coming into the night with,” Thunder guard Isaiah Joe said. “Just because they’re a team that’s not going to make the playoffs, you can’t think they’re just going to lay down and give you the game.

“You’ve got to go take it. You’ve got to earn it, which we didn’t do.”

P.J. Washington led the Hornets with 43 points, while former OKC players Theo Maledon and Svi Mykhailuk added 19 and 18 points, respectively.

Tuesday’s loss is a valuable lesson for the Thunder, which will face a similar opponent on Wednesday.

OKC will host Detroit, the team with the NBA’s worst record, at 7 p.m.

“We understand what’s at stake,” Joe said. “We understand we have a game tomorrow. That’s where our focus is. … We’re not going to weigh our heads on this one for too long. We’ll move on, learn from it and get better.”

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

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Josh Giddey gives his best Shai Gilgeous-Alexander impersonation in the first quarter

Josh Giddey gathered himself before making his move.

OKC trailed Charlotte 16-15 with 3:44 left in the first quarter when Giddey caught a pass on the wing. The second-year guard hadn’t gotten a breather yet, but he still mustered enough energy to blow past his defender before sinking a layup.

Giddey set the tone for OKC amid the absence of star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was out due to a left ankle sprain. Giddey recorded 11 points and five rebounds in the first quarter, and he played all 12 minutes.

"I thought his aggression on offense tonight was really good," Daigneault said. "He was downhill for a lot of the night, but he had a really good balance of that. ... I was encouraged by how he played defensively, for sure."

Giddey gave his best impersonation of Gilgeous-Alexander, who’s averaging 9.8 points in 11.2 minutes per first quarter this season.

Giddey played the entire first quarter for the first time since OKC’s game against San Antonio on March 12. It’s no coincidence that Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t play in that game either.

With Gilgeous-Alexander not in the mix, OKC leaned on Giddey throughout Tuesday’s contest. He finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in 34 minutes.

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Isaiah Joe expands his game in career night

With his mouthguard casually hanging out, Joe attacked the congested paint.

OKC held a 52-45 lead late in the second quarter when its third-year guard fearlessly barreled into the lane. Joe elevated and got met at the rim by Charlotte’s P.J. Washington, but he used his hangtime to sink a crafty up-and-under layup.

Joe has carved out a role this season thanks in large part to his 3-point shooting. He entered Tuesday shooting a blistering 42.2% from deep.

But Joe showcased his offensive versatility against Charlotte.

Joe erupted for a career-high 33 points, and he scored from all three levels. Despite entering Tuesday averaging just 1.3 2-point attempts per game, he shot 5-for-7 from inside the arc.

"He does all the things that help glue our system together," Daigneault said. "His shooting has been great this year, but it can distract you from how holistic of a player he is."

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Aleksej Pokusevski shakes off the rust in return

Aleksej Pokusevski made his long-awaited return on Tuesday.

The third-year forward hadn’t played in OKC’s last 41 games due to a non-displaced tibial plateau fracture in his left leg, but he logged 10 minutes off the bench against Charlotte.

Pokusevski recorded one assist, and he missed both of his shot attempts.

It’s a modest stat line for the former first-round pick, but it’s a starting point nonetheless. OKC eased Pokusevski back into the rotation, and that process will likely continue throughout the team’s next few games.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Hornets beats Thunder as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sits for OKC