I seriously cannot believe we all thought a team with an outstanding coach, a Hall of Fame floor general, and an elite shooter was going to be in the lottery next year. We are all idiots.

This was such an incredible game for so many reasons. Obviously, it was a nail–biter til the very end. But what’s more amazing is watching two teams at the very early stages of rebuilding, already showing us flashes of incredible talent.

Billy Donovan coached a flawless game tonight. He constantly exposed the Pelicans’ mismatch guarding Gallinari, as he ended up with 29 points on 12/18 shooting. They had no answer for him the entire game. Zion hit another career high tonight with 32 points and was equally unstoppable. Lu Dort was completely shutting down Jrue Holiday, and even had a nice 3PT shot, which is always a pleasant surprise. Dennis was having his way at the rim with his unmatched speed, putting in 22 points himself.

Chris Paul managed tf out of this game, garnering 14 points, 12 assists, and 8 rebounds. Dangerously close to a triple-double. But more importantly, he was getting the ball to the guys who needed it, including Ferguson. Yes, he’s not shooting the ball well, but CP3 knows that he needs to keep shooting through the slump, and that he did. Sometimes even forcefully. He is the exact definition of a floor general.

This was a huge win. Coming off a two-game losing skid, it felt like this last game before the All-Star weekend would really set the tone into the final third of the season. Now, we go into the break with a great victory against a very young, talented organization. That completely changes the mood around this group and will pay dividends.

OKC now sits 1.5 games back of the Rockets in the 5th seed. We have much to cover before our next game, but it will be a tough one against the Nuggets next Friday (yes, we have 8 days off). For now, let’s enjoy SGA in the Rising Stars game and CP3 in his return to the All-Star game this weekend.

As always, THUNDER UP