"Gilgeous-Alexander was a little rusty but admitted getting the win was all that mattered. "I need to be better," he said. "We need to be better than what we just did. We're going to be a better team in a few months, but I fully believe this team will use tonight as a learning experience. "It was ugly tonight, but I'd rather it be ugly in a win than a loss for sure.""
"Gilgeous-Alexander struggled in the first half for any kind of fluency but coach Mark Daigneault was delighted with his determination to get the job done, no matter how it looked. "He just stays in the game," Daigneault said. "It wasn't a perfect night for him, but he just stays in it. He understands the 48-minute nature. He understands the 82-game nature. It's not always going to be perfect. And tonight wasn't perfect for us collectively. And the guys just kind of played the next play, never lost our focus or resolve.""
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points and made both game-winning free throws with 2.3 seconds left after being fouled by Kevin Durant in Durant's Rockets debut. The Oklahoma City Thunder, defending champions, edged the Houston Rockets 125-124 in a second overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander described the victory as "ugly" and acknowledged the need for personal and team improvement while valuing the win. Coach Mark Daigneault praised Gilgeous-Alexander's persistence and the team's ability to stay focused despite an imperfect performance. The Thunder raised their championship banner before the game, a moment Gilgeous-Alexander called amazing and memorable.
Read at 101GREATGOALS.COM
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