The Oklahoma City Thunder, which was forced to postpone the last game, finally ushered in its first game of the season. In the game against the Charlotte Hornets, the new starting ball veteran George Hill unexpectedly exploded. He scored 21 points on 8 of 9 shots and 4 of 4 three-pointers. In the final quarter, relying on the star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to deliver a lore, the Thunder defeated the Hornets 109-107 in the first game.
In addition to SGA’s quasi-killing meritorious service, George Hill is undoubtedly a major contributor to the Thunder. The Thunder’s frequent action during the offseason and frantically collecting draft picks have been targeted this season as the “Tan team.” However, Hill’s play in the first game “frustrated” their plan to start. The Thunder sent away Chris Paul during the offseason, and the pace of winning seems to be difficult to stop.
Hill played for the Bucks last season and came to the Thunder through a big deal in the offseason. For the Thunder, swallowing contracts such as Hill and Al Horford, the goal is to fill the salary and get the draft pick. No one would have thought that he would become the key man in this field.
After the start, Hill was not the main scorer. Young people including Luguentz Dort and Darius Bazley were still the main points of the Thunder. About 6 minutes into the first quarter, Hill successfully broke through against Gordon Hayward and scored the first point of the Thunder career. . This shot completely opened up Hill’s touch, and the veteran started his own scoring performance.
In the second half of the first quarter, he hit the arc top three-pointer. After his debut in the second quarter, he broke through and hit the distance. At the end of the half, he scored 11 points on all 5 shots. Then he continued his crazy performance, hitting twice on the outside in the third quarter, leading the Thunder to a 7-point margin in the single quarter to reverse the trend of the game. Hill, who made all of the first seven shots, also gave the Thunder a lead away.
At 2:25 of the last quarter, Hill missed the cut but grabbed a second rebound, and then he hit a three-pointer. In the last 2 minutes and 13 seconds, the Thunder led by 13 points. This three-pointer almost helped the Thunder secure the victory. However, in the last 23 seconds, the Hornets scored 4 three-pointers in a row, which was almost a reversal. Fortunately, the SGA’s lore still allowed the Thunder to pass the hurdle.
SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER FOR THE WIN. pic.twitter.com/5Q32MNploo
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 27, 2020
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