<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/mark-daigneault-honest-review-josh-giddey-alex-caruso-trade-months-later');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mark Daigneault’s honest review of Josh Giddey-Alex Caruso Thunder trade months later');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/THUNDER-NEWS-MARK-DAIGNEAULTS-HONEST-REVIEW-OF-JOSH-GIDDEY-ALEX-CARUSO-TRADE-MONTHS-LATER.jpg"></figure><h1>Mark Daigneault’s honest review of Josh Giddey-Alex Caruso Thunder trade months later</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-31T12:04:40-07:00">March 31st, 12:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-31T15:00:06-07:00">March 31st, 3:00pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey returns to the Paycom Center for the first time since the Oklahoma City Thunder traded him for Alex Caruso, which head coach Mark Daigneault revisited before Monday’s matchup.</p><p>After his first three seasons, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-josh-giddey-trade-explanation-sam-presti">Thunder traded Giddey to the Bulls during the offseason</a>, granting Josh an increased role with Chicago while supplementing Oklahoma City with a veteran three-and-D guard with a championship pedigree.</p><p>Nearly an entire season into the deal, Daigneault <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSgegAEwB2A" rel="noopener">believes</a> it’s a move that’s been mutually beneficial for all parties involved.</p><p>“Well, I haven’t seen a ton of them with my eyes, but obviously I’ve seen his numbers, and he’s playing great,” Daigneault said. “Trades are inherently mutually beneficial, and I think that’s one where both teams benefit, and both players benefited.</p><p>“Alex ended up in a situation that he wanted to be in. Josh is obviously able to play a role there that shows his talent in a contract year, and he is maximizing that. We’re certainly happy for him. Not surprised. He was a really talented player, but we’re happy for him.”</p><p>Giddey is producing some of the best averages of his career this season, including assists (6.9), steals (1.2), and blocks (0.6), while averaging 14.2 points and shooting at a career-best 38% clip from three.</p><p>The same can’t be said about Caruso from a statistical standpoint. However, his defensive presence undoubtedly strengthens the Thunder’s second unit, which makes Oklahoma City one of the deepest teams in the NBA.</p><p>For Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, the deal for Alex Caruso was a win/win.</p><h2><b>Jalen Williams reacts to Josh Giddey’s return vs. Thunder</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/THUNDER-ALL-STAR-JALEN-WILLIAMS-NEXT-TO-THUNDERS-JOSH-GIDDEY.jpg"><figcaption>Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-jalen-williams-drops-awesome-take-josh-giddey-success-bulls">Jalen Williams is excited to see Josh Giddey</a> in Monday’s matchup against the Bulls. Williams spent his first two seasons in the NBA with Giddey as his teammate.</p><p>While Williams is happy for Giddey’s success with the Bulls, he’s not taking a reunion with his former teammate lightly, as Josh will make his first visit to the Paycom Center as part of the visiting team.</p><p>“I’m excited,” Williams said. “It’s always fun playing against Gid, and I think, obviously, whenever we’re playing against a former teammate, you try really hard not to make it a you versus you but Thunder versus the Bulls.”</p><p>Still, Williams will undoubtedly cherish seeing his former teammate.</p><p>“It’s always good to see familiar faces, man,” Williams added. “You don’t know when the next time is you’ll see somebody, and you try not to take those moments for granted.”</p><p>The Thunder will look to extend their winning streak to 10.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mark Daigneault’s honest review of Josh Giddey-Alex Caruso Thunder trade months later

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-jaylin-williams-injuries-grizzlies-clash');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder lose Alex Caruso, Jaylin Williams to injuries in Grizzlies clash');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Thunder-news-OKC-loses-Alex-Caruso-Jaylin-Williams-to-injuries-in-Grizzlies-clash.jpg"></figure><h1>Thunder lose Alex Caruso, Jaylin Williams to injuries in Grizzlies clash</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-27T20:27:07-07:00">March 27th, 8:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-28T08:32:16-07:00">March 28th, 8:32am</time><address><a>Kendall Capps</a>Kendall Capps is a multi-media journalist and editor who is overly passionate about all sports (to his wife's dismay). He's a Senior Editor at ClutchPoints who previously managed SB Nation's golf vertical. He has also done work for FantasyPros and co-hosted the Lay The Points podcast as part of a decade-long career in sports entertainment.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Oklahoma City Thunder hosted the Memphis Grizzlies in a battle of Western Conference supremacy on Thursday night. In what turned out to be a wild, back-and-forth game, the Thunder ultimately prevailed, 125-104. The win improved their record to a league-best 61-12. However, it might prove to be a costly victory, as two crucial bench pieces left early with injury.</p><p>Jaylin Williams left after playing just eight minutes and is dealing with left hip stiffness. He finished with three points and three rebounds. Not long afterward, Alex Caruso was ruled out for the rest of the game. Caruso was reportedly <a href="https://x.com/SteveMcGehee/status/1905440801854742775" rel="noopener">dealing with lower back soreness</a>, according to Thunder reporter Steve McGehee.</p><p>Caruso logged just 10 minutes before departing. He ended his night with six points, three rebounds, an assist, and a block.</p><p>Thankfully for Oklahoma City, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/thunder-news-candace-parker-gives-shai-gilgeous-alexander-mvp-flowers">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reminded everyone why he is the favorite for NBA MVP</a>. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 37 points on 15-for-25 from the floor. He chipped in with six assists, three rebounds, and three steals.</p><p>The Thunder’s other Williams, Jalen Williams, added 20 points. But the difference in the game came on the other end of the floor.</p><p>Oklahoma City’s defense held Memphis to 41.8 percent shooting (33-79), with the Grizzlies committing 18 turnovers. Desmond Bane, the best offensive option with Ja Morant still out with injury, was completely shut down. Bane finished with three points on 1-for-12 shooting.</p><p>The game was up for grabs entering the fourth quarter. OKC led by two points, but outscored Memphis 34-15 in the final stanza to pull away.</p><p>There is no immediate word on either Caruso or Williams’ status. But given the relative lack of seriousness to the listed injuries, it is expected they will be listed day-to-day. The Thunder host the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder lose Alex Caruso, Jaylin Williams to injuries in Grizzlies clash

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-mark-daigneault-makes-winner-alex-caruso-claim-beating-clippers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Mark Daigneault makes ‘winner’ Alex Caruso claim after beating Clippers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Thunder-news-Mark-Daigneault-makes-winner-Alex-Caruso-claim-after-beating-Clippers.jpg"></figure><h1>Thunder’s Mark Daigneault makes ‘winner’ Alex Caruso claim after beating Clippers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-24T15:48:02-07:00">March 24th, 3:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-24T15:48:02-07:00">March 24th, 3:48pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault leaned heavily on Alex Caruso’s defensive versatility in Sunday’s 103-101 win against the Los Angeles Clippers. Before All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-drops-truth-bomb-game-saving-hero-clippers">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pointed out Caruso’s impact</a>, Daigneault explained what made that impact so critical in the Thunder’s latest win. With All-Star Jalen Williams (hip) ruled out, Caruso was added to the starting lineup before clocking in a season-high 31 minutes.</p><p>Daigneault <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7AydgVl3iM&amp;t=229s" rel="noopener">highlighted</a> Caruso’s ability to guard three Clippers’ starting lineup members.</p><p>“He’s just such a winner. He’s got great competitive instincts. Great situational awareness. He’s also present in the game. He’s never distracted by how the game’s going for him,” Daigneault said. “He just plays the next play the same way. The defensive versatility and intellect is also huge. To be able to put him on Leonard. Move him to Harden. We started him on Zubac a couple of possessions and switched him. He can do anything on that end of the floor.</p><p>“So, he was very good tonight. It was his season-high for minutes. I was pleased to see how he handled that load and a great game out of him,” Daigneault concluded.</p><p>Caruso contributed 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two critical defensive stops in the final minute of the Thunder’s 103-101 win over the Clippers. He also helped limit Clippers’ James Harden to 4-of-14 attempts (17 points), while Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 26 points and eight assists led the charge for Oklahoma City.</p><p>Aaron Wiggins’ 19 points led the bench, Isaiah Hartenstein had a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds), and Jaylin Williams netted a dozen points. Still, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-high-praise-this-western-conference-rival" rel="noopener">Gilgeous-Alexander says the Clippers are a legitimate contender</a> and should be considered as such in the Western Conference.</p><h2><b>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s take on Alex Caurso’s role with Thunder</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Thunder-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander_061012.jpg"><figcaption>Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault’s praise, Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander discussed Alex Caruso’s leadership. As the only Thunder player with a championship ring, Gilgeous-Alexander says his veteran presence is felt in the team’s locker room.</p><p>“He’s always vocal. He’s always making sure that we’re doing things, no matter what the game looks like, to head in the direction where we want to go,” Gilgeous-Alexander added. “He holds the group accountable in that way, regardless if it’s a team that’s not going to make the playoffs and is playing their last couple of games of the season. Or it’s a playoff team fighting for seeding.</p><p>“Regardless of what it is. We have to play to a certain standard, and I think that’s been like his main message since the All-Star break,” Gilgeous-Alexander concluded.</p><p>The Thunder extended their winning streak to six.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Mark Daigneault makes ‘winner’ Alex Caruso claim after beating Clippers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-reveals-why-luka-doncic-cade-cunningham');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Alex Caruso reveals why he sees Luka Doncic in Cade Cunningham');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Thunder-news-Alex-Caruso-reveals-why-he-sees-Luka-Doncic-in-Cade-Cunningham.jpg"></figure><h1>Thunder’s Alex Caruso reveals why he sees Luka Doncic in Cade Cunningham</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-15T15:42:02-07:00">March 15th, 3:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-15T15:42:02-07:00">March 15th, 3:42pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Detroit Pistons</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Before facing Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso compared the former to Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. The defensive specialist sees similarities between the two. Coming off the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-why-shai-gilgeous-alexander-think-beating-celtics-huge">Thunder’s huge win against the champion Boston Celtics</a>, Caruso explained what makes Cunningham such a unique player.</p><p>For many, Doncic is considered a top-five NBA talent. While Caruso <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewvydovxDDQ" rel="noopener">agrees</a> that Cunningham still has ways to go before reaching Luka’s level, he sees a familiar style in the Pistons’ first-year All-Star guard.</p><p>“I don’t want to throw out too many comparisons, but just with his size and skillset, he’s got a little bit of Luka [Doncic],” Caruso said. “Obviously, Luka’s a very special, unique player. He’s got six [NBA] First Team or five First Teams in his first however many years in the league. That’s a high standard, but he’s got a little bit of that. Big guard, main handler, can shoot, can post up, good at drawing fouls; he kind of plays in the midrange, too. He’s got a little bit of everything.”</p><p>Alex Caruso, who played for the Chicago Bulls before his trade to the Thunder, had an up-close look at Cunningham while defending him in the Eastern Conference’s Central Division.</p><p>“His pace has really slowed down. I saw it last year a little bit, playing against him in his first year. Then, last year, he’s a big guard,” Caruso said. “He’s like six-seven. Probably 200-something pounds. He gets you on your hip and then gets to that 10-foot floater. He can post up on smaller guys. Then, this year, he’s shooting the three-ball well, which I think really complements his game.”</p><h2><b>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says Thunder’s win versus Celtics is ‘huge’</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Thunder-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander_e7fa8f.jpg"><figcaption>David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-jalen-williams-reacts-couch-win-celtics">Jalen Williams reacted to Wednesday’s win </a><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-jalen-williams-reacts-couch-win-celtics" rel="noopener">over the Celtics</a>. After the victory, fellow Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rndooUxV5zw" rel="noopener">explained</a> its significance.</p><p>“It’s huge. Because they’ve done what we’re trying to do, the games are always going to be heightened. They’re always going to be a little more exciting,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They’ve, like I say, achieved what we’re trying to accomplish. There’s no better test in the NBA. You play for late June, and they’re the team that won in late June. So, playing against them is always fun and is always a really big challenge.”</p><p>The Thunder will look to improve to 2-0 on their three-game road trip against the Pistons.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Alex Caruso reveals why he sees Luka Doncic in Cade Cunningham

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-100-honest-shai-gilgeous-alexander-nikola-jokic-mvp-battle');   ga('set', 'title', 'Alex Caruso gets 100% honest on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs Nikola Jokic MVP battle');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Thunder-news-Alex-Caruso-gets-100-honest-on-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-vs-Nikola-Jokic-MVP-battle.jpg"></figure><h1>Alex Caruso gets 100% honest on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs Nikola Jokic MVP battle</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-08T15:10:27-08:00">March 8th, 3:10pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-09T13:26:30-07:00">March 9th, 1:26pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NBA’s top two candidates for the Most Valuable Player award — Oklahoma City Thunder’s All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets’ All-Star Nikola Jokic — will face off on back-to-back nights at the Paycom Center. Thunder veteran guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-excited-test-against-championship-caliber-players" rel="noopener">Alex Caruso is thrilled about his team’s challenge</a> that starts Sunday afternoon. He discussed how significant this year’s MVP race is in Oklahoma City’s upcoming two games.</p><p>Are Gilgeous-Alexander’s teammates <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBa8c4_IVso&amp;t=144s" rel="noopener">feeling the pressure</a> to beat the Nuggets as both candidates gear towards the end of their MVP race?</p><p>“I don’t think so, and I don’t mean that in a sense, we don’t want him to get that edge, and we don’t want him to win because we think he’s obviously very deserving,” Caruso replied. “But a lot of our mantra as a team is play for the team, play to win, and at the end of the day, through that success, the individual accolades and awards will come. It’s not Shai deflecting and smoke-screening just to get the questions off. I truly think that’s how he views it.</p><p>“And that’s what makes him such a great leader for this team, and a great player to follow out there on the court is because he truly cares about winning, and he’s competitive in that. Obviously, it would be nice for him to get represented for the season he’s having. But, obviously, like I said earlier, I think he wants to do that through winning as well,” Caruso concluded.</p><p>The reigning two-time MVP Nikola Jokic is coming off recording the first 30/20/20 game after finishing with an incredible 31 points, 22 assists, and 21 rebounds in a 149-141 overtime win against the Phoenix Suns.</p><h2><b>Alex Caruso on a potential co-MVP award before Thunder matchup</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Thunder-guard-Alex-Caruso-next-to-Thunders-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-1.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While leading the Western Conference standings (52-11), Alex Caruso is excited to face the Nuggets’ championship-caliber squad after helping the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-mark-daigneault-reveals-why-friday-win-great-program-win">Thunder beat the Trail Blazers 107-89 on Friday</a>. However, regarding the MVP conversation between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, he’d like to see the NBA crown one victor instead of settling for co-MVPs.</p><p>Caruso shared his take after practice on Saturday.</p><p>“I’m a traditionalist. I like one winner,” Caruso said. “Someone’s having a better season; just pick it.”</p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander enters the Thunder’s back-to-back against the Nuggets leading the NBA in scoring with 32.8 points per game. He’s also second in steals (1.8), averaging 6.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds. Jokic, averaging 28.9 points per game, is third in scoring, second in assists (10.6), and third in rebounding (12.9) while averaging a triple-double for the Nuggets.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Alex Caruso gets 100% honest on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs Nikola Jokic MVP battle

Jamal Crawford

RJ Barrett

Lou Williams

Gordon Hayward

Alex Caruso

Josh Hart

Julius Randle

Nicolas Batum

Serge Ibaka

Rajon Rondo

2019-20 NBA Champ

2022-23 All-Defensive

2x All-Defensive

2020 NBA Champ

Los Angeles Lakers

Chicago Bulls

Oklahoma City Thunder

1 season

Career

2 seasons

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Haaland letting the hair flow before final whistle is so disrespectful 😭😭

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2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.2	2.9	2.7	0.5	1.7

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.2	2.9	2.7	0.5	1.7

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