Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s “unexpected” look at Isaiah Joe

When Oklahoma City Thunder running back Isaiah Joe went through a short, All-Star slump Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knew that an upheaval was inevitable. Gilgeous-Alexander says Joe was ‘too good’ to stay in a slump for a long time after scoring a season-high 31 points in a 126-101 win against the New York Knicks. Shai discussed Isaiah’s performance after the Thunder beat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-102.

Joe finished with 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers off the bench. He helped the Thunder hold off a second-half run by the 76ers that cut a 24-point deficit to six late in the game. After the win, Gilgeous-Alexander addressed Joe’s impact on Oklahoma City.

“Isaiah Joe is spectacular for our group,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He came somewhat unexpectedly.” He has been a worker since day one. He turns it off. At first he obviously didn’t play much. When his time (came), he made full use of it. So obviously that’s why it’s in the rotation. He just works hard. He knows what he’s doing every night. He does it at a high level. It makes it easier for the rest of the group because we know what we’re going to get from him.

“We know how he plays, where his places are.” (He is) a very, very good shooter. So that always helps there.”

Philadelphia outplayed the Thunder 38-29 after halftime. Fortunately for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City’s poor performance in the third quarter did not carry over into a troubled fourth.

“It’s basketball. It’s no deeper than that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I’m trying to be aggressive, I’m playing wrong.” You have moments like that all season long. Obviously, we’re not a team that turns the ball over a lot. But we are not perfect; we’re going to make mistakes, and that’s what it looked like tonight. As long as we don’t make it a habit, we’ll be fine. It’s just a bad streak of basketball for a little bit.”

Marc Daigneault’s honest look at Isaiah Joe’s career shooting night

Head coach Mark Daingeault wasn’t surprised by Thunder Isaiah Joe’s shooting display, and neither did Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Connecting on a career-high eight 3-pointers while coming up two points shy of his career-high 33 points (31), Joe gave scoring clinic against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

“We know he is capable of it.” “He’s had it before, and this season he hasn’t shot the ball the way he wanted to,” Daigneault said. “We were kind of waiting for this kind of game. At least I was. It was a matter of time. Big trust from him.”

After completing their four-game road trip with a 3-1 record, the Thunder will host the Cavs at the Paicom Center on Thursday night.