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Alex Caruso jumped and jumped and jumped again, trying to tip the overtime rebound away from Victor Wembanyama.
A tall task for sure — Caruso is nearly a foot shorter — but finally, the Thunder’s defensive dynamo snagged the ball. He did so as he was falling out of bounds, though, so he turned and threw the ball as hard as he could off of the Spurs big man.
It flew out of bounds.
But so did Caruso.
He fell backwards into photographers and fans along the Paycom Center baseline, looking a bit like a rock star taking a stage dive. You almost expected him to pop up ala Iggy Pop and start crowd surfing.
Even though that didn’t happen, Caruso reaffirmed Monday during the opening game of the Western Conference finals that he is definitely a Thunder rock star.
REPORT CARD: Jalen Williams was great, but Wemby was better in Game 1 of Thunder-Spurs
Yes, Oklahoma City lost, falling 122-115 to San Antonio in double overtime. Sure, Wemby ended up with 41 points and 24 rebounds. And absolutely, he outplayed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the night that the newly minted NBA MVP was presented his trophy.
But there are plenty of reasons for optimism at Thunder HQ that this series is far from over — and Caruso is at the top of the list.
He scored a career-high 31 points, surpassing anything he’s ever done in the regular season or the playoffs and easily besting his previous high of 20 points. Plus, he spent a decent amount of time guarding Wembanyama, that height differential be damned.
What was better, Caruso’s offense or defense?
“I can’t pick either,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It was a great game from Alex. Sad it went to waste, but he played his butt off tonight. Proud of him, but I expect that from Alex, especially this time of year.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said, “He played a great game. If we won that game … that would have been one of the stories of the game is just how he stepped up and made those plays, made those shots.”
Losing doesn’t make Caruso any less of a story.
It might actually make him an even bigger one.
Along with Jalen Williams, Caruso provided a tangible reminder that the Thunder has plenty of ammunition to win this Battle Royale at the OK Corral.
“I know what my teammates are capable of, what we’re capable of as a team when we bring it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after scoring 24 points on 7-of-23 shooting. “It’s just unfortunate I wasn’t able to bring my best game.”
TAKEAWAYS: Wembanyama's historic night leads Spurs past Thunder in WCF Game 1
Even though SGA was off and Wemby was not, even though the Thunder failed to hit good looks and the Spurs went on runs throughout the game, San Antonio still failed to put away Oklahoma City. The Spurs needed double overtime before managing to dismiss the Thunder.
That feels heartening.
I asked Williams if it was.
“I think what I like about basketball the most is how you’re asking that question the same way that the other team feels throughout the whole thing,” he said. “We can sit here and be like, ‘I didn’t play well’ or ‘We didn’t make shots.’ Or (SGA’s) gonna say he didn’t play his best game.
“And they’re going to be down there and be like, ‘Well, we should have made some shots, and we should beat them by 20.’ That’s just how it works.”
It doesn’t feel like either team is winning many games in this series by 20 points, but what Williams did should be another good sign for the Thunder. After not playing for nearly a month because of his injured hamstring, Williams made his return in the first game of the Western Conference finals and scored 26 points and played more than 37 minutes.
He attacked, and even though he hit just 11 of 25 shots, the aggression was evident. That was no small thing for a guy who also missed big chunks of games during the regular season due to injuries.
“We were trying to thread the needle of obviously competing in the game and using him and also trying to keep him healthy,” Daigneault said. “He did a great job. It was great to have him out there.”
MUSSATTO: Thunder better beat Spurs in NBA Playoffs now while it still can
As good as that was, Caruso was better.
Even though all the points will get the headlines — plus the eight 3-pointers that he hit — Caruso actually had some success guarding Wemby. If a guy scores 41 points, it’s safe to say that the defense had its struggles. But if not for the Thunder’s dynamic defense led by Caruso, Wemby might’ve had 61.
“Just making it difficult,” Caruso said of what’s successful against Wembanyama. “Make catches tough. Don’t give him the same kind of physical contact a couple times in a row. And especially for him, trying to get him away from the basket as much as possible.”
Make no mistake, Wemby got his versus Caruso, but the opposite is true, too.
Sure, if you’re the Thunder, you would have loved to have gotten bigger performances from Chet Holmgren and Ajay Mitchell or better shooting from Jared McCain and Isaiah Joe.
But all is not lost.
When Caruso finally emerged from the mosh pit of photographers and fans after he’d knocked that ball off Wemby, Thunder fans roared their approval. Caruso raised a hand above his head, and with his palm turned to the sky, he waggled his fingers.
C’mon! Let’s go!
That message wasn’t just for the fans. It was meant for his team, too.
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at [email protected]. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at @jennicarlsonok.bsky.social and twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Alex Caruso's rock-star Game 1 performance gives Thunder hope vs Spurs
Continue reading...
A tall task for sure — Caruso is nearly a foot shorter — but finally, the Thunder’s defensive dynamo snagged the ball. He did so as he was falling out of bounds, though, so he turned and threw the ball as hard as he could off of the Spurs big man.
It flew out of bounds.
But so did Caruso.
He fell backwards into photographers and fans along the Paycom Center baseline, looking a bit like a rock star taking a stage dive. You almost expected him to pop up ala Iggy Pop and start crowd surfing.
Even though that didn’t happen, Caruso reaffirmed Monday during the opening game of the Western Conference finals that he is definitely a Thunder rock star.
REPORT CARD: Jalen Williams was great, but Wemby was better in Game 1 of Thunder-Spurs
Yes, Oklahoma City lost, falling 122-115 to San Antonio in double overtime. Sure, Wemby ended up with 41 points and 24 rebounds. And absolutely, he outplayed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the night that the newly minted NBA MVP was presented his trophy.
But there are plenty of reasons for optimism at Thunder HQ that this series is far from over — and Caruso is at the top of the list.
He scored a career-high 31 points, surpassing anything he’s ever done in the regular season or the playoffs and easily besting his previous high of 20 points. Plus, he spent a decent amount of time guarding Wembanyama, that height differential be damned.
What was better, Caruso’s offense or defense?
“I can’t pick either,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It was a great game from Alex. Sad it went to waste, but he played his butt off tonight. Proud of him, but I expect that from Alex, especially this time of year.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said, “He played a great game. If we won that game … that would have been one of the stories of the game is just how he stepped up and made those plays, made those shots.”
Losing doesn’t make Caruso any less of a story.
It might actually make him an even bigger one.
Along with Jalen Williams, Caruso provided a tangible reminder that the Thunder has plenty of ammunition to win this Battle Royale at the OK Corral.
“I know what my teammates are capable of, what we’re capable of as a team when we bring it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after scoring 24 points on 7-of-23 shooting. “It’s just unfortunate I wasn’t able to bring my best game.”
TAKEAWAYS: Wembanyama's historic night leads Spurs past Thunder in WCF Game 1
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Even though SGA was off and Wemby was not, even though the Thunder failed to hit good looks and the Spurs went on runs throughout the game, San Antonio still failed to put away Oklahoma City. The Spurs needed double overtime before managing to dismiss the Thunder.
That feels heartening.
I asked Williams if it was.
“I think what I like about basketball the most is how you’re asking that question the same way that the other team feels throughout the whole thing,” he said. “We can sit here and be like, ‘I didn’t play well’ or ‘We didn’t make shots.’ Or (SGA’s) gonna say he didn’t play his best game.
“And they’re going to be down there and be like, ‘Well, we should have made some shots, and we should beat them by 20.’ That’s just how it works.”
It doesn’t feel like either team is winning many games in this series by 20 points, but what Williams did should be another good sign for the Thunder. After not playing for nearly a month because of his injured hamstring, Williams made his return in the first game of the Western Conference finals and scored 26 points and played more than 37 minutes.
He attacked, and even though he hit just 11 of 25 shots, the aggression was evident. That was no small thing for a guy who also missed big chunks of games during the regular season due to injuries.
“We were trying to thread the needle of obviously competing in the game and using him and also trying to keep him healthy,” Daigneault said. “He did a great job. It was great to have him out there.”
MUSSATTO: Thunder better beat Spurs in NBA Playoffs now while it still can
You must be registered for see images
As good as that was, Caruso was better.
Even though all the points will get the headlines — plus the eight 3-pointers that he hit — Caruso actually had some success guarding Wemby. If a guy scores 41 points, it’s safe to say that the defense had its struggles. But if not for the Thunder’s dynamic defense led by Caruso, Wemby might’ve had 61.
“Just making it difficult,” Caruso said of what’s successful against Wembanyama. “Make catches tough. Don’t give him the same kind of physical contact a couple times in a row. And especially for him, trying to get him away from the basket as much as possible.”
Make no mistake, Wemby got his versus Caruso, but the opposite is true, too.
Sure, if you’re the Thunder, you would have loved to have gotten bigger performances from Chet Holmgren and Ajay Mitchell or better shooting from Jared McCain and Isaiah Joe.
But all is not lost.
When Caruso finally emerged from the mosh pit of photographers and fans after he’d knocked that ball off Wemby, Thunder fans roared their approval. Caruso raised a hand above his head, and with his palm turned to the sky, he waggled his fingers.
C’mon! Let’s go!
That message wasn’t just for the fans. It was meant for his team, too.
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at [email protected]. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at @jennicarlsonok.bsky.social and twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Alex Caruso's rock-star Game 1 performance gives Thunder hope vs Spurs
Continue reading...
