Oklahoma City Thunder's Isaiah Joe continued his hot shooting streak in Wednesday's 136-109 win against the Phoenix Suns. Joe's 21 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including six threes, led the Thunder's bench, as Isaiah has connected on three or more triples in five of his last six games.
He's shooting at a 50% clip from deep in February, averaging 3.5 threes a night. For Joe, his elite shooting of late is a byproduct of the Thunder's offense, which has capitalized on outside touch amidst its four wins in six tries this month.
“The connectivity of the team. Everybody's playing together,” Joe said. “Obviously, shots are going in, but I just think that comes with the style of play. We're moving the ball. Everybody's feeling the energy of the game, getting the flow, and it shows out there.”
Joe's 21 points led a Thunder bench that combined for 74 points in Wednesday's win against the Suns.
“We have a winning mindset, and we understand that in order to win games with the pieces that we have, we have to play a certain brand of basketball, and that just comes with moving the rock, and everybody getting a feel,” Joe said. “Keeping the ball ahead of the defense is something that we talk about, and we just go out there and execute that to the best of our ability.”
Isaiah Joe has connected on 28 of his last 58 3-point attempts throughout the Thunder's previous eight games. All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed his fourth consecutive game due to an abdominal injury. Oklahoma City is 2-2 in its last four outings.
Mark Daigneault reacts to Jalen Williams' 28 points in Thunder win
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault commended Jalen Williams' 28-point performance in the Thunder's 27-point win against the Suns on the road. The night after high school jersey retirement ceremony just outside of Phoenix, Arizona, Williams went a perfect 11-for-11 from the floor en route to 28 points. He finished 11-for-12 in three quarters, 20 minutes to be exact.
In only his second game back from a 10-game absence due to a hamstring injury, Williams dominated the Suns, which Daigneault thought was a touching finish to a special two-day span for his starting forward.
“He was cooking. That was impressive. He was in a great flow,” Daigneault said. “I thought he had a great blend of attacks, including some passes that were really, really good. He was doing a great job. It was an unbelievably complete game. It completes a really memorable trip for him with the high school jersey retirement last night.
“Then, for him to play in his hometown the way he did in front of his people is pretty special. So, I'm incredibly happy for him. We're certainly thrilled to have him out there. He's doing a great job.”
The Thunder will host the Bucks at the Paycom Center on Thursday.
