[NBA 뉴스] Pajuk’s 3rd win in a row…Thunder is off to a refreshing start to the season

Pajuk’s 3rd win in a row…Thunder is off to a refreshing start to the season

The Oklahoma City Thunder are on a tremendous upward trajectory, having won three straight games in the early part of the season.

On October 28, Korean time, the Thunder defeated the Atlanta Hawks 128-104 in the 2024-25 NBA regular season home game held at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. With this win, the Thunder, who have won three games in a row since the opening season, are tied for first place in the Western Conference along with the LA Lakers.

On this day, the Thunder put pressure on the Hawks with ace Shay Gilgeous-Alexander continuing his sharp performance in the offensive zone. Gilgeous-Alexander, one of this season’s MVP candidates, led the team’s offense by recording a double-double with 35 points and 11 rebounds. His selfless play also stood out, adding nine assists.

In particular, the Thunder began to dominate the game in the mid to late game when Gilgeous-Alexander started scoring one after another in one-on-one matches. In addition, starting center Chet Holmgren, who assisted him, boasted tremendous control of the paint zone with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 blocks, and forward Jaylin Williams also played his role with 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Meanwhile, the Hawks, who lost the game, struggled with star guard Trae Young scoring 24 points, but he also hindered the team by recording 10 turnovers.

The bigger problem was that the three remaining starting players scored only 7 points, falling behind sharply in the mid-game scoring battle. The Hawks suffered their first loss of the season.

Clippers defeat Warriors in tough road trip

The LA Clippers earned their second win of the season with a surprising victory in a difficult away game against the Golden State Warriors.

On October 28, Korean time, the Clippers won 112-104 in the regular season game against the Warriors held at Chase Field in San Francisco. With this win, the Clippers won two consecutive games after losing in the opening game and rose to 5th place in the Western Conference with 2 wins and 1 loss.

The Clippers were led by James Harden, Norman Powell, and Ivica Zubac without main gun Kawhi Leonard, who is still out of the game due to injury. On this day, Harden scored 23 points and 11 assists, Zubac added 23 points and 17 rebounds, and Powell added 20 points, playing a decisive role in the team’s victory.

James HardenKavin Mistry

The Clippers, who finished the first quarter with a tight 23-23 tie, came to life in the second quarter as Harden’s playmaking and Juvac’s offense under the goal came to life. Afterwards, the game continued with the Warriors chasing after the Clippers maintained their lead, and in the fourth quarter, the game tilted sharply with Zubac’s consecutive paint zone scores and Amir Kofi’s 3-pointer from the outside.

Although the Warriors made a huge catch at the end of the game and even caught up to a 1-point gap, in the end, Harden and Zubach scored in a clutch time match, widening the gap again and securing the victory.

Andrew Wiggins worked hard for the Warriors with 29 points on this day, but it was fatal that their ace, Stephen Curry, was unable to play in the final and important fourth quarter due to an ankle injury during the game. The Warriors suffered their first loss after opening the season with two consecutive wins.