<!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', '/thunder-news-alex-caruso-reacts-four-year-81-million-extension');   ga('set', 'title', 'Alex Caruso reacts to four-year, $81 million Thunder extension');   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/2024/12/Alex-Caruso-reacts-to-four-year-81-million-OKC-extension.jpg"></figure><h1>Alex Caruso reacts to four-year, $81 million Thunder extension</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-24T14:20:35-08:00">December 24th, 2:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-24T14:20:35-08:00">December 24th, 2:20pm</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>Before the Oklahoma City Thunder extended their winning streak in a 123-105 victory against the Washington Wizards, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-alex-caruso-agree-to-4-year-81-million-contract-extension">Alex Caruso addressed his four-year, $81 million extension</a>. The Thunder wasted little time in offering Caruso a long-term deal. Two days removed from his December 21 deadline, stemming from his trade from the Chicago Bulls, the All-Defensive guard is committed to Oklahoma City for the foreseeable future.</p><p>Before facing the Wizards, Caruso <a href="https://x.com/Joe_Sway/status/1871325524502749431" rel="noopener">shared</a> his excitement with Thunder reporters at the team shootaround.</p><p>“I’m excited. The organization, the team, and the city are everything. I’m kind of looking for [in] a long-time partner,” Caruso said. I’ve been excited &amp; ecstatic with the first couple of months I’ve been here. Hopefully, we can find some success to back that up, with the contract. But really just excited to continue the partnership with being in this organization. It’s been great so far, looking forward to the future.”</p><p>Caruso’s championship pedigree bodes well for the young Thunder team with championship aspirations. He’s adapted seamlessly to his new defensive-minded teammates in the backcourt, including Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, and rookie Ajay Mitchell off the bench.</p><p>With a league-leading 102.9 defensive rating, Caruso’s impact contributed to the Thunder’s emergence as the NBA’s best defensive team in 2024-25. The Thunder also led the Western Conference with a 23-5 record.</p><h2><b>Alex Caruso agrees to four-year, 81 million extension with Thunder</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Thunder-guard-Alex-Caruso-with-Thunder-center-Jaylin-Williams.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After Oklahoma City Thunder veteran <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-alex-caruso-honest-admission-how-relates-lu-dort" rel="noopener">Alex Caruso revealed how he relates to Lu Dort</a>, he committed to remaining one of the longest-tenured Thunder players’ teammates through 2029. The Bulls traded Caruso to Oklahoma City in exchange for Josh Giddey when he entered the final year of his current deal. By avoiding his impending free agency, OKC stabilizes one of the most versatile backcourts in the NBA. </p><p>Led by All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 41 points on 14-for-25 shooting and 3-of-6 from deep in Tuesday’s win against the Wizards, the Thunder remain the most dominant team in the Western Conference. Before facing the Magic, Caruso discussed how much he relates to Dort’s journey.</p><p>“Lu kind of had a similar path to me where he kind of had to go two-way and earn it, and now he’s turned himself into one of the most reputable defenders in the league where people know who he is and what he stands for,” Caruso said. “So, just the confidence and the level of swagger, whether offensively or defensively, that he plays with goes a long way with the team.”</p><p>Caruso is averaging 5.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.9 steals in 20 games this season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Alex Caruso reacts to four-year, $81 million Thunder extension

<!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', '/thunder-alex-caruso-agree-to-4-year-81-million-contract-extension');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder, Alex Caruso agree to 4-year, $81 million contract extension');   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/2024/12/IMG_1122.jpeg"></figure><h1>Thunder, Alex Caruso agree to 4-year, $81 million contract extension</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T16:33:59-08:00">December 22nd, 4:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T16:33:19-08:00">December 22nd, 4:33pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Oklahoma City <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-why-are-clear-title-favorite-per-analyst">Thunder are looking like legitimate title contenders</a> this season, and a big reason why has been the addition of Alex Caruso. The Thunder acquired Caruso in an offseason trade with the Chicago Bulls, and they’re keeping him around long-term. The Thunder and Alex Caruso <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1870969883045044626" rel="noopener">agreed to a four-year</a> contract extension worth around $81 million, as per Shams Charania of ESPN.</p><p>Alex Caruso’s new contract extension will keep him in a Thunder jersey through the 2028-29 season. More importantly, it ensures that Caruso bypasses free agency this coming offseason when his current deal was set to expire. He undoubtedly would have been a highly-coveted player on the free agent market.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-bulls-thunder-alex-caruso-josh-giddey-trade">Caruso arrived in Oklahoma City via an offseason trade</a> with the Bulls that sent former lottery pick Josh Giddey to the Bulls. Caruso has fit in perfectly with the Thunder, especially on the defensive end, and his presence off the bench is a big reason why they are title contenders.</p><p>Caruso has appeared in 19 games for the Thunder this season at a little over 20 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 5.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.9 steals with splits of 38.5 percent shooting from the field, 27 percent shooting from the three-point line and 77.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>His steals are a career-high. While his shooting percentages are where you want them to be, it’s been offset by his impact defensively.</p><p>He began his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-way contract after going undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft. Caruso spent four seasons with the Lakers, eventually earning a standard contract, and was a key contributor on their 2020 NBA title winning team.</p><p>Caruso spent three seasons with the Bulls and averaged a career-high 10.1 points last year. The Thunder are currently in first place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 22-5.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder, Alex Caruso agree to 4-year, $81 million contract extension

<!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', '/thunder-news-alex-caruso-honest-admission-how-relates-lu-dort');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder veteran Alex Caruso’s honest admission on how he relates to Lu Dort');   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/2024/12/Thunder-news-Alex-Carusos-honest-admission-on-how-he-relates-to-Lu-Dort.jpg"></figure><h1>Thunder veteran Alex Caruso’s honest admission on how he relates to Lu Dort</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-20T14:12:37-08:00">December 20th, 2:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-20T14:12:37-08:00">December 20th, 2:12pm</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>Before facing the Orlando Magic on Thursday, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso shared his many parallels with fellow veteran Lu Dort. After head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-mark-daigneault-honest-take-lu-dort-contagious-approach" rel="noopener">Mark Daigneault gushed over Dort’s longevity with the team</a> and the leadership that comes with it, Caruso talked about how one of the longest-tenured Thunder players’ paths and style of play is reminiscent of his own. </p><p>It’s one of many reasons Caruso <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0ts92sOOH4&amp;t=313s" rel="noopener">admires</a> Dort’s relentless approach. Dort is an undersized guard who went undrafted in 2019.</p><p>“There’s a pride for sure. Lu kind of had a similar path to me where he kind of had to go two-way and earn it, and now he’s turned himself into one of the most reputable defenders in the league where people know who he is and what he stands for,” Caruso said. “So, just the confidence and the level of swagger, whether offensively or defensively, that he plays with goes a long way with the team.”</p><p>Caruso went undrafted in 2016, showcasing himself on the Philadelphia 76ers’ summer league team before signing with the Thunder and joining their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. He then signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017 and was a vital part of their championship run in 2020.</p><p>Caruso averaged 6.5 points, 2.8 assists, and 0.7 blocks in 24.3 minutes per game throughout the postseason.</p><h2><b>Alex Caruso reminisces over Lu Dort defending him in games</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Thunder-guard-Lu-Dort_e8a899.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Amid his first season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-sam-presti-explains-biggest-hold-up-potential-alex-caruso-contract-extension">Alex Caruso could sign an extension soon</a> as he’s in the final year of his three-year, $36.9 million contract. The Chicago Bulls traded him to the Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey over the summer, which meant he wouldn’t have to face Lu Dort twice a year anymore.</p><p>Caruso revealed Dort often defended him whenever they played against each other, and things rarely went well on nights he faced the Thunder.</p><p>“Not fun. He makes life miserable for people, and that’s what makes him such a good player,” Caruso said. “I think offensively this year, I’ve been able to see him play a little more.”</p><p>When a reporter asked Caruso if Dort dives for loose balls more than any other player on the team, he jumped into the conversation. Then, he explained how refreshing it is to have a teammate who approaches the game similarly.</p><p>“It’s energizing [when] you see somebody giving up their body for the team [in] game 20 of the season,” Caruso said. “That’s the stuff that I’ve done in my career, and I appreciate. It doesn’t go overlooked.”</p><p>Caruso has the utmost respect for Dort’s hustle.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder veteran Alex Caruso’s honest admission on how he relates to Lu Dort

<!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', '/thunder-news-alex-caruso-reveals-secret-key-success');   ga('set', 'title', 'Alex Caruso reveals secret key to Thunder’s success');   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/2024/12/Thunder-news-Alex-Caruso-reveals-secret-key-to-Oklahoma-Citys-success.jpg"></figure><h1>Alex Caruso reveals secret key to Thunder’s success</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-14T09:07:39-08:00">December 14th, 9:07am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-14T09:07:39-08:00">December 14th, 9:07am</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>As the Oklahoma City Thunder prepare for their NBA Cup semifinal matchup against the Houston Rockets, veteran guard Alex Caruso shared why 2024-25 has been such a success. With the best record in the Western Conference and a four-game winning streak, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-are-only-nba-team-achieve-this-eye-opening-stat">Thunder’s astonishing steal-to-turnover ratio</a> puts them in a league of their own. However, Caruso says the key to Oklahoma City’s success is the players’ desire to improve while holding one another accountable.</p><p>Caruso also <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxoAC4Dc-WM" rel="noopener">credits</a> the front office for meticulously assembling the ideal core of young players who align with the Thunder organization’s standards. </p><p>“They all have the same focus, which is they want to get better. They want to be the best versions of themselves. They want to compete. They want to win basketball games,” Caruso said. “Then, ultimately, the organization has just done a great job bringing guys in that want to represent everything that OKC is about; team first from Shai down to our two-way guys [and] E-10 guys.</p><p>“Everyone is treated the same, and everyone is held to the same standard and accountability. With an atmosphere and culture like that, it makes it really easy for really good basketball players to thrive,” Caruso concluded.</p><p>When the Chicago Bulls traded Caruso to the Thunder for Josh Giddey, the All-Defensive guard quickly adapted to Oklahoma City. He now anchors the second unit’s backcourt and looks forward to competing in the final rounds of the NBA Cup in Las Vegas.</p><p>“The ability to do this during the season is a big responsibility, but it’s a big opportunity for us just to be able to break the norm of the season,” Caruso said. “Kind of that gridlock of 25 games in, you’re like halfway to All-Star break almost. This is kind of more of a mental refresher that I think is going to be really beneficial. But also the ability to showcase the team we have. We got a bunch of guys that are really good basketball players, really competitive, and really close.”</p><h2><b>Thunder are the only NBA team to reach this eye-opening stat</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Thunder-head-coach-Mark-Daigneault_085094.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-mark-daigneault-addresses-previous-shortcomings-rockets" rel="noopener">Mark Daigneault addressed the Thunder’s shortcomings against the Rockets</a> but anticipates an increased effort in the NBA Cup semifinals. Heading into Saturday’s showdown, the Thunder are the only team in the association with more steals (292) than turnovers (265).</p><p>It’s an impressive stat, especially this deep into the regular season. Alex Caruso (30) cracks the top 4 for Thunder players with the most steals. Jalen Williams leads the pack with 49 steals, with Cason Wallace (43) and All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (42) close behind.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Alex Caruso reveals secret key to Thunder’s success

<!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', '/thunder-news-alex-caruso-reveals-business-like-approach-nba-cup-showdown-vs-mavericks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Alex Caruso reveals business-like approach to NBA Cup showdown vs. Mavericks');   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/2024/12/Thunder-news-Alex-Caruso-reveals-business-like-approach-to-NBA-Cup-showdown-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>Alex Caruso reveals business-like approach to NBA Cup showdown vs. Mavericks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-10T13:00:59-08:00">December 10th, 1:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-10T13:00:59-08:00">December 10th, 1:00pm</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">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso reminded reporters of how his team’s playoff run ended against the Dallas Mavericks last season, using the pronoun “we” when he was still a member of the Chicago Bulls in 2023-24. On Tuesday, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-vs-mavericks-nba-cup-results-according-to-nba-2k25">Thunder face the Mavericks in the NBA </a><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-vs-mavericks-nba-cup-results-according-to-nba-2k25" rel="noopener">Cup’</a>s semifinal knockout round with a chance to avenge their Western Conference semifinals loss at the Paycom Center.</p><p>A reporter <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4JoikLYujE&amp;t=221s" rel="noopener">asked</a> Caruso if there’s extra motivation for the Thunder heading into Tuesday’s matchup.</p><p>“Maybe a little bit. But for the most part, this is routine for us,” Caruso said. “We show up, go to work. Prepare the same way. Obviously, we know what’s at stake with the Cup game. Some of the young guys want that extra payday, and that’s some of the motivation, too. There’s some good energy behind that. But for us, it’s pretty standard like show up to work, get your business done. Get ready.”</p><p>After advancing from the group stage of the NBA Cup, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-jalen-williams-reveals-secret-money-inspiration-nba-cup">Jalen Williams revealed Jaylin Williams’ desire to win</a> it all as a motivating factor for his teammates. The Thunder are dedicating their run to their injured center. However, Caruso knows beating the Western Conference champion Mavs won’t be easy.</p><p>“For them, it’s just about picking their momentum from where they were last year, and I think they’re doing that,” Caruso said. “They’re giving good enough efforts defensively to compete, and then offensively, obviously, their talent speaks for themselves. They have great big that complement Luka and Kyrie, and shooting around that. I think if we play the way we’re supposed to play, obviously, we can beat any team in the league. But they’re a really good team, and we have to play well.”</p><p>The Mavericks enters Tuesday’s matchup on a seven-game winning streak and has won eleven of its last twelve games.</p><h2><b>Jalen Williams drops harsh take on Thunder’s second-half struggles</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Thunder-forward-Jalen-Williams-1-1.jpg"><figcaption>Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>For Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso and the Thunder must get off to a strong start and maintain their composure throughout the game’s four quarters. After the Pelicans trimmed a 30-point deficit down to nine in the fourth quarter, it posed the kind of threat that could have cost Oklahoma City the game.</p><p>“We started well, playing hard to start the game. We sucked the rest of the game like the second half was bad,” Williams said. “The way our start was, and how we’ve started like that in the past, we’ve been able to maintain that the whole game.”</p><p>In the end, the Thunder beat the Pelicans 119-109.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Alex Caruso reveals business-like approach to NBA Cup showdown vs. Mavericks

<!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-rumors-thunder-prioritize-alex-caruso-extension');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Thunder prioritizing Alex Caruso extension');   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/2024/12/NBA-rumors-Thunder-prioritizing-Alex-Caruso-extension.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Thunder prioritizing Alex Caruso extension</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-02T14:55:05-08:00">December 2nd, 2:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-03T12:39:21-08:00">December 3rd, 12:39pm</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>Oklahoma City Thunder head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-alex-caruso-okc-coach-message-bulls-trade">Mark Daigneault smiled when the front office acquired Alex Caruso</a>. The All-Defensive Second Team guard was dealt to Oklahoma City in exchange for Josh Giddey. In the final year of his four-year, $36.9 million contract, Thunder’s Caruso is in line for a contract extension.</p><p>With two All-Defensive Team selections under his belt, including Second (2023-24) and First Team (2022-23) nods, Caruso <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/top-nba-trade-candidates-for-the-2024-25-season/" rel="noopener">should receive</a> a sizable pay increase, per HoopsHype’s Michael Sotto.</p><p>“The next item on Presti’s agenda is expected to be contract extension discussions in December with guard Alex Caruso, who was acquired from the Bulls in exchange for Josh Giddey this offseason,” Sotto says. “Caruso is expected to receive a sizable pay raise from his current $9.89 million salary.”</p><p>Caruso is averaging 5.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game for the Thunder this season. The numbers don’t always justify Alex’s value to Oklahoma City. However, a nagging hip injury that sidelined Caruso for seven of the Thunder’s first 20 games of the regular season hasn’t helped him adapt to the offense.</p><p>However, in a deep Thunder backcourt led by All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, and rookie Ajay Mitchell, there’s rarely a shortage of offense amid the Thunder’s unpreceded start to 2024-25. Still, Caruso’s championship pedigree (2019-20 Lakers), coupled with his veteran leadership, gives the Thunder’s backcourt a defensive anchor. They’ve strengthened their identity on that end of the floor, where Caruso should remain for the foreseeable future.</p><h2><b>Mark Daigneault’s ‘mental toughness’ take on Thunder guards</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Thunder-guard-Ajay-Mitchell.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder have plenty of options in the backcourt outside Alex Caruso. The Thunder’s depth of guards thickened with the emergence of second-round draft pick Ajay Mitchell and the development of second-year guards Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-mark-daigneault-mental-toughness-take-guards">Daigneault talked about his guards’ mental toughness</a> after Oklahoma City’s 119-116 loss to the Houston Rockets Sunday night.</p><p>Daigneault <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_kjrpnfxMY&amp;t=311s" rel="noopener">highlighted</a> veteran Lu Dort, Wallace, and Joe as examples of his guards demonstrating their mental toughness in their ability to make big shots amid mid-game shooting slumps.</p><p>“Mitchell, the other night, was 1-for-8 against Golden State. He hit that one in the corner,” Daigneault said. “Isaiah Joe was 0-for-6; he hit the one late in the game. Dort has been in a little bit of a slump, dealing with his finger. Then, he hit four of them the other night. I think the mental toughness of the team was on display. Cason is in that category.”</p><p>The Thunder will look to advance to the elimination round of the NBA Cup with a win against the Jazz on Tuesday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Thunder prioritizing Alex Caruso extension

<!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', '/thunder-news-is-alex-caruso-playing-vs-rockets-latest-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Is Alex Caruso playing vs. Rockets? Latest Thunder injury update');   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/2024/12/Thunder-news-Is-OKCs-Alex-Caruso-playing-vs.-Rockets.jpg"></figure><h1>Is Alex Caruso playing vs. Rockets? Latest Thunder injury update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-01T12:17:08-08:00">December 1st, 12:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-01T12:17:08-08:00">December 1st, 12:17pm</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">Oklahoma City Thunder</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Oklahoma City <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-isaiah-hartenstein-reveals-keys-successful-road-trip">Thunder visit the Houston Rockets</a> on Sunday night. Alex Caruso is on the injury report and is <a href="https://okcthunderwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/thunder/2024/12/01/full-injury-report-for-sundays-thunder-vs-rockets-matchup/76683698007/" rel="noopener">listed as out</a>, per Thunder Wire’s Clemente Almanza. Caruso is dealing with a hip strain that resulted in missing three consecutive games. <i>Here’s everything we know about Alex Caruso’s injury and playing status vs. the Rockets. </i></p><p>Caruso’s nagging hip injury forced the veteran guard to miss a previous three-game stretch in mid-November against the Pelicans, Suns, and Mavericks and three games toward the start of 2024-25. He returned for two games before re-aggravating his hip in a 109-99 win against the Trail Blazers on Nov. 20. Caruso finished with 17 points on 8-of-11 attempts, two assists, and two steals in 15 minutes.</p><p><b><i>Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener">free trial</a>)*</i></b></p><h2><b>Thunder’s Alex Caruso’s playing status vs. Rockets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Thunder-guard-Alex-Caruso.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Given Alex Caruso is ruled out on the injury report, his next chance of returning for the Thunder will be against the Utah Jazz in the final NBA Cup matchup of the group round. Isaiah Joe, rookie Ajay Mitchell, and Cason Wallace have seen an uptick in their respective minutes off the bench. Wallace got the nod in head coach Mark Daigneault’s starting lineup on Friday, and Joe, the game before. </p><p>The last time these two teams met, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-mark-daigneault-praises-effort-late-win-versus-rockets">the Thunder beat the Rockets 126-107</a>. The Thunder will look to extend their winning streak to five. The Rockets are coming off back-to-back overtime wins against the Timberwolves (117-111) and 76ers (122-115) and are 8-2 in their last ten games.</p><p>Jalen Green scored a season-high 41 points in the Rockets’ win against the 76ers. Alperen Sengun recorded a double-double (22 points, 14 rebounds), while Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein enters Sunday’s matchup on a four-game double-double streak. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 35+ points in each of OKC’s last three games.</p><p>Alex Caruso did play in the Thunder’s earlier meeting against the Rockets this season in Oklahoma City. He recorded 10 points and four rebounds off the bench, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren each scored 29 points.</p><p>So, the answer to whether Alex Caruso is playing tonight against the Rockets is no.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Is Alex Caruso playing vs. Rockets? Latest Thunder injury update

<!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', '/thunder-news-get-tough-alex-caruso-injury-update-mavs-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder get tough Alex Caruso injury update for Mavs game');   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/2024/11/Thunder-news-OKC-gets-tough-Alex-Caruso-injury-update-for-Mavs-game.jpg"></figure><h1>Thunder get tough Alex Caruso injury update for Mavs game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-16T20:24:59-08:00">November 16th, 8:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-16T20:24:59-08:00">November 16th, 8:24pm</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>After missing the Oklahoma City Thunder’s previous two games with a sore hip, Alex Caruso is ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks with a strained hip, per Thunder’s latest injury report. Oklahoma City will look to capture its 12th win of the regular season on Sunday, following <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-addresses-devin-booker-win-over-suns">a 99-83 win against the Phoenix Suns</a>.</p><p>The severity of Caruso’s <a href="https://x.com/Joe_Sway/status/1857919752267534711" rel="noopener">injury</a> raises the question of whether Alex is expected to be sidelined for an extended period. Caruso averages 4.2 points, 2.3 assists, and 2.9 rebounds but is a defensive pillar for the Thunder. He also averages 1.7 steals and 0.6 blocks in 19.5 minutes per game.</p><p>He joins a long list of injuries for Oklahoma City, including their three bigs: Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams, and Isaiah Hartenstein. With Jalen Williams playing center, head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-how-will-adapt-small-ball-philosophy-without-chet-holmgren">Mark Daigneault has enforced Thunder small-ball</a>. Outside of OKC’s 127-116 loss against the Golden State Warriors, where Holmgren suffered a fractured pelvic in the opening frame, the Thunder are 3-0 with victories against the Los Angeles Clippers, the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Suns.</p><p>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 28 points led four starters that scored in double figures in Oklahoma City’s 99-83 win against the Phoenix Suns. Lu Dort (nine rebounds) added 15 points, Jalen Williams tallied 14, and Isaiah Joe netted 11, while Aaron Wiggins (eight), Ajay Mitchell (seven), and Ousmane Dieng (seven) combined for 22 points off the bench.</p><h2><b>Ajay Mitchell explains the benefits of playing 3 years in college</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Thunder-rookie-Ajay-Mitchell.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Oklahoma City Thunder’s second-round pick <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-jalen-williams-ajay-mitchell-explain-benefits-playing-3-years-college">Ajay Mitchell’s three years in college made a difference</a> in his preparation for the role he’s earning in head coach Mark Daigneault’s player rotation. The additional college years spent growing as a player prepared Mitchell for his role on the 2024-25 Thunder.</p><p>For Mitchell, it made all <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIi9eZ2C5kw" rel="noopener">the difference</a> in developing into the player he is today.</p><p>“It’s just a lot more experience. For me, having three years of college, I feel like, every year I got better, and every year I was kind of preparing myself to be ready to play right away in the NBA,” Mitchell said. “So, I think it really just helped me to learn the game more and be ready to compete at the highest level.”</p><p>Mitchell finished with seven points on 3-of-7 attempts, four rebounds, and three assists in 23 minutes in the Thunder’s win against the Suns on Friday. He is averaging 5.4 points while shooting at a 51.8% clip from the floor, 46.2% from deep, 2.0 assists, and 1.8 rebounds in 15.8 minutes this season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder get tough Alex Caruso injury update for Mavs game

<!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', '/thunder-news-alex-caruso-injury-status-vs-pelicans-signals-issues-chet-holmgren');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder Alex Caruso’s injury status vs. Pelicans signals issues without Chet Holmgren');   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/2024/11/Alex-Carusos-injury-status-vs-Pelicans-signals-more-problems-without-Chet-Holmgren.jpg"></figure><h1>Thunder Alex Caruso’s injury status vs. Pelicans signals issues without Chet Holmgren</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-13T15:02:01-08:00">November 13th, 3:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-13T15:06:20-08:00">November 13th, 3:06pm</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">Oklahoma City Thunder</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Competing without Chet Holmgren became more complicated for the Oklahoma City Thunder as Alex Caruso was ruled out before their matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Thunder will look to follow up on their emphatic victory against the Los Angeles Clippers, where <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-downplays-career-night">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 45 points</a> without Caruso. The 2024 All-Defensive First Team guard has been instrumental on that end of the floor while spending time at the center position in Holmgren’s absence.</p><p>Caruso is ruled <a href="https://x.com/AndrewKSchlecht/status/1856746598887539177/photo/1" rel="noopener">out</a> against the Pelicans due to a hip injury, per The Athletic’s Andrew Schlecht.</p><p>“Long injury list for the Thunder and Pelicans,” Schlecht reported. “Caruso is now listed as OUT with right hip soreness.”</p><p>Alex Caruso joins Thunder’s Holmgren, Jaylin Williams, and Isaiah Hartenstein, all of whom can contribute at the center position, but are unavailable. However, Oklahoma City isn’t the only team missing one of its better players. Pelicans’ power forward Zion Williams, who’s dealing with strained left hamstring is also unavailable alongside New Orleans’ backcourt mates C.J. McCollum, Dejounte Murray, and Jose Alvarado.</p><h2><b>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander downplays career-high 45 points</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/hai-Gilgeous-Alexander_702268.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After Oklahoma City <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-how-can-overcome-chet-holmgren-injury">Thunder big man Chet Holmgren’s prognosis was announced</a>, a two to three month timeline for a fractured pelvic bone, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander erupted with an incredible 45-point performance. Gilgeous-Alexander finished 13-of-21 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from deep, and 15-of-16 from the charity stripe in a 134-128 win against the Los Angeles Clippers.</p><p>After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander was <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/42340674/shai-gilgeous-alexander-nets-career-high-45-thunder-win" rel="noopener">surprised</a> by how many points he ended up with, and says his performance didn’t feel any different than the ones before, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.</p><p>“It didn’t feel special,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It didn’t feel like I did something I’d never done before. Just felt like another basketball game. I felt like I should have had more, missed some easy shots, but [that’s] the game.”</p><p>After losing to the Warriors, the game where Holmgren limped off the floor in the opening frame, SGA admitted the Thunder’s defense was missing the star big’s presence.</p><p>“It changed a lot for us defensively, for sure. He does so much on that end of the floor. Cleans up so many things. Deters so many things around the rim. When he’s blocking them, he averages like four blocks a game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Yeah, it changed a lot for us obviously, a little wrinkle, but it’s part of the game. You got to play through it and try to get a W.”</p><p>The Thunder will look for their second dub since Holmgren’s injury against the Pelicans on Wednesday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder Alex Caruso’s injury status vs. Pelicans signals issues without Chet Holmgren

<!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', '/thunder-news-alex-caruso-drops-destiny-take-chet-holmgren-anthony-davis-comparisons');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder Alex Caruso’s ‘destiny’ take on Chet Holmgren-Anthony Davis comparisons');   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/2024/10/THUMB-04_013559.jpg"></figure><h1>Thunder Alex Caruso’s ‘destiny’ take on Chet Holmgren-Anthony Davis comparisons</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-27T11:13:40-07:00">October 27th, 11:13am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-27T11:13:40-07:00">October 27th, 11:13am</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>Alex Caruso and the Oklahoma City <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-chet-holmgren-reveals-business-approach-josh-giddey-matchup">Thunder took care of business against Josh Giddey</a> and the Chicago Bulls. They beat the Bulls 114-95 to improve to 2-0 on the young season, and Chet Holmgren finished with a career-high 16 rebounds, drawing comparisons to Caruso’s former All-Star teammate in Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis. A reporter asked Alex if he’s seen similarities between the two during the 2020 champion Lakers guards’ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01_kSOMtEwg&amp;t=698s" rel="noopener">postgame media availability</a> on Saturday.</p><p>“The AD comparison is a tough one just cause AD’s so accomplished where he’s at in his career right now, and Chet obviously has a long way to go to match that, but I think he controls his destiny,” Caruso said. “Whatever he wants to accomplish in this league, he’s got it in front of him. He’s got the work ethic, he’s got the competitiveness. If you have those two things where you have the ability to get better, you have the want to get better, and you have the work ethic to get better, if you have those things, you can control your own destiny in the NBA.”</p><p>While unwilling to compare Holmgren to the Lakers’ nine-time All-Star, Alex Caruso says the sky’s the limit for the 22-year-old big man.</p><p>“Chet can do so many different things. [He’s] a special player. He gives us versatility. He gives us a dynamic that not many teams in the league have,” Caruso said. “Just with his skill, and then, he’s a tenacious competitor. He wants to improve. He wants to be better. He wants to be great, and he wants to win. And those are things as a young player are phenomenal to see, and then obviously, as his teammate, you love to see that, too.”</p><p>After becoming the first Thunder player to record 25+ points, 14+ rebounds, 5+ assists, 4+ blocks, and 2+ assists in a single game, Chet’s double-double (21 points, 16 rebounds) caused fits for the Bulls’ defense on Saturday while OKC’s Jalen Williams scored a team-high 24 points, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander netted 23.</p><h2><b>Chet Holmgren celebrates his historic night with Wing Stop</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMAGN-03_d4423a.jpg"><figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-chet-holmgren-celebrates-historic-night-wing-stop-lemon-pepper-wings">Chet Holmgren’s masterful performance against the Nuggets</a> was an Anthony Davis-caliber stat line. In the Thunder’s season opener, Holmgren scored 28 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. The Thunder won 102-87.</p><p>After the game, Holmgren treated himself to Wing Stop. The bag of chicken wings was next to him during his media availability before a reporter asked if there was a <a href="https://twitter.com/jxlorenzi/status/1849678046535491690" rel="noopener">new endorsement deal</a> in the works, per Oklahoman Sports’ Joel Lorenzi.</p><p>“I just really enjoy my lemon peppers,” Holmgren said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“Chet, you got a Wing Stop sponsorship?”</p><p>“I just really enjoy my lemon peppers.” <a href="https://t.co/u4FNtTR7ea">pic.twitter.com/u4FNtTR7ea</a></p><p>— Joel Lorenzi (@jxlorenzi) <a href="https://twitter.com/jxlorenzi/status/1849678046535491690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The 2-0 Thunder will host the Hawks in their regular-season home opener at the Paycom Center on Sunday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder Alex Caruso’s ‘destiny’ take on Chet Holmgren-Anthony Davis comparisons

<!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', '/thunder-news-initiates-alex-caruso-hilarious-barking-tradition');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder initiates Alex Caruso in hilarious barking tradition');   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/2024/10/THUMB-11_eb461d.jpg"></figure><h1>Thunder initiates Alex Caruso in hilarious barking tradition</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-25T10:35:36-07:00">October 25th, 10:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-25T12:14:36-07:00">October 25th, 12:14pm</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>During Game 1 of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first-round series against the New Orleans Pelicans, veteran center Jonas Valanciunas yelled in forward Jalen Williams’ face. So, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-jalen-williams-barking-game-1-pelicans">Williams barked at Valanciunas </a><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-jalen-williams-barking-game-1-pelicans" rel="noopener">in response</a>. Williams is known to bark from time to time. It’s now a part of OKC culture. Then, during Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s walk-off postgame interview following the Thunder’s 102-87 win against the Denver Nuggets in their season opener, J-Dub, alongside teammates Jaylin Williams, Chet Holmgren, Aaron Wiggins, Lu Dort, and Isaiah Joe, initiated Alex Caruso to the team.</p><p>Caruso finished scoreless (0-for-2) with six rebounds and four assists in 19 minutes but let out his first Thunder <a href="https://x.com/Jhickness9/status/1849668748346622379" rel="noopener">bark</a> during a walk-off interview with TNT’s Jared Greenberg.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Alex Caruso with the first postgame bark of the season! <a href="https://t.co/ZVWRJoEVFN">pic.twitter.com/ZVWRJoEVFN</a></p><p>— Shai Gilgreatness-Alexander (@Jhickness9) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jhickness9/status/1849668748346622379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Greenberg was wrapping up his interview when Jaylin set the stage for Caruso’s team initiation. He made sure the interview wouldn’t end before Alex let out his bark. Jalen and his teammate of the same last name are known for starting the team’s trend in 2022. J-Dub has done it during postgame interviews, toward fans at the Paycom Center, and during games, such as he did in Game 1 of Oklahoma City’s opening-round series in the playoffs.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-center-suffers-training-camp-injury-ruled-out-preseason">J-Will is recovering from a sprained left ankle</a> that forced him to miss the entire preseason. There is no word of whether he’ll be close to making his season debut soon. However, it’ll be interesting to see if Isaiah Hartenstein undergoes the same initiation when he eventually makes his Thunder debut.</p><p>Hartenstein suffered a small, non-displaced fracture in his left foot in a preseason game against the Nuggets earlier this month. He’s expected to be reevaluated in four to five weeks. OKC signed free-agent center Alex Reese to a non-guaranteed deal for depth at the center position.</p><h2><b>Chet Holmgren makes Thunder history in season opener</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMAGN-05.jpg"><figcaption>Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Before Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso’s initiation, power forward Chet Holmgren made Thunder history in Thursday’s season opener against the Denver Nuggets. After turning in 25 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and two steals, he became the first player in franchise history ever to do so. Before Thursday’s 102-87 win, spoiling the Nuggets’ 2024-25 home opener, no one from OKC had ever finished a game with 25+ points, 14+ rebounds, 5+ assists, 4+ blocks, and 2+ steals in a single game.</p><p>Holmgren treated himself to Wing Stop’s lemon pepper wings to celebrate Thursday’s win and kept them close during his <a href="https://twitter.com/jxlorenzi/status/1849678046535491690" rel="noopener">postgame press conference</a>.</p><p>“I just really enjoy my lemon peppers,” Holmgren told reporters when asked if he had inked an endorsement deal with the popular franchise.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“Chet, you got a Wing Stop sponsorship?”</p><p>“I just really enjoy my lemon peppers.” <a href="https://t.co/u4FNtTR7ea">pic.twitter.com/u4FNtTR7ea</a></p><p>— Joel Lorenzi (@jxlorenzi) <a href="https://twitter.com/jxlorenzi/status/1849678046535491690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Next up for the Thunder are the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder initiates Alex Caruso in hilarious barking tradition

<!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', '/thunder-news-why-alex-caruso-excited-home-preseason-opener');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Alex Caruso is ‘excited’ for Thunder home preseason opener');   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/2024/10/Thunder-news-Why-Alex-Caruso-is-excited-for-home-preseason-opener.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Alex Caruso is ‘excited’ for Thunder home preseason opener</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-09T12:37:52-07:00">October 9th, 12:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-09T12:37:52-07:00">October 9th, 12:37pm</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>In an annual league survey, the Oklahoma City Thunder swept the board in three exciting categories, such as NBA’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-nba-gms-believe-time-shai-gilgeous-alexander-win-mvp" rel="noopener">2025 Most Valuable Player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander</a>, a team with the most promising core, and most underrated acquisition in Alex Caruso ahead of his Thunder home debut, as NBA GMs heavily favored the 2024-25 Thunder. After making his Thunder preseason debut in a 112-107 win against the San Antonio Spurs, Caruso, who will play a critical role on his new team, looks forward to playing in front of his new home crowd on Wednesday.</p><p>After Monday’s win, Caruso talked about making his Thunder <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&amp;v=sutlcvkto28" rel="noopener">debut</a> at the Paycom Center.</p><p>“[I’m] really excited to get the first home game under my belt,” Caruso said. “It’s what everyone’s preached since the trade in June, just how great the home fans are.”</p><p>As for getting acclimated with his new teammates and surroundings, Caruso’s having a blast. He’s talked about the light-hearted sessions, when necessary, alongside a prominently 26-and-under squad and the opposite of that while keeping a healthy balance between team bonding and reaching team goals.</p><p>“It’s good. I’m just trying to learn from these guys. They’ve obviously had a lot of success here, and I’ve had success otherwise. For the most part, [I’m] just trying to learn the first couple of weeks that I’ve been here,” Caruso added. “They do keep it light. They all talk about the age difference. I’m not that old. But all these guys are really young. So, they have a lot of energy. They’re serious when it matters, but when it’s not, they keep it light. So, just trying to keep in line with them and find the rhythm.”</p><p>So far, the Thunder are off to a good start. Caruso finished the night with five points, five assists, one steal, and one block in 17 minutes.</p><h2><b>Aaron Wiggins on ‘elite’ defensive trio led by Thunder’s Alex Caruso</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Thunder-guard-Alex-Caruso_24a9d7.jpg"><figcaption>NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Aaron Wiggins believes the Oklahoma City <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-aaron-wiggins-sends-warning-about-elite-defensive-trio">Thunder’s defensive trio led by Alex Caruso is “elite”</a> and can compete with any team in the NBA. According to Wiggins, Caruso, Lu Dort, and Cason Wallace <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufvFSpXihHE" rel="noopener">will be devastating opposing offenses</a> this upcoming season.</p><p>“Talk about point-of-attack defenders; those guys are the elite of the elite. Cason Wallace, I’d throw him in there, too,” Wiggins said. “You match them up with anybody with the ball in their hands and almost count on them to get any stop.”</p><p>Alex Caruso makes his Thunder home debut against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Alex Caruso is ‘excited’ for Thunder home preseason opener

<!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', '/thunder-news-aaron-wiggins-raves-about-importance-alex-caruso-addition');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Aaron Wiggins raves about importance of Alex Caruso addition');   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/2024/10/Thunder-news-Aaron-Wiggins-raves-about-importance-of-Alex-Caruso-addition.jpg"></figure><h1>Thunder’s Aaron Wiggins raves about importance of Alex Caruso addition</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-05T14:30:51-07:00">October 5th, 2:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-05T14:30:51-07:00">October 5th, 2:30pm</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>In preparation for a highly anticipated 2024-25 campaign, Aaron Wiggins and the Oklahoma City Thunder had a productive week, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-why-mark-daigneault-thrilled-coach-isaiah-hartenstein-alex-caruso" rel="noopener">implementing newcomers Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein</a> into the fold. After the Thunder traded Josh Giddy for All-Defensive First-Team point guard Alex Caruso and signed free-agent center Isaiah Hartenstein over the summer, many positioned them as favorites to win the Western Conference in 2025.</p><p>Wiggins, playing alongside Caruso four days into camp, already <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufvFSpXihHE" rel="noopener">sees the benefits</a> of having an elite defending 2020 NBA champion on his side.</p><p>“He’s just very smart. [A] very smart guy, [who] knows the game really well. Big communication guy on both ends of the court. You can see his experience in the way that he plays,” Wiggins said. “I’ve been able to watch him [and] hear from him. He’s always coaching guys on the court. He has a very good feel for different looks that he has learned and knows how to put out on the court. So, [on] both ends of the court, he makes good reads on the offensive end, and he’s able to see defenses really well.</p><p>“Then, when he’s on defense, he knows how to disguise different looks and maybe set up different things. Very smart player on both ends of the court,” Wiggins concluded.</p><p>Amidst his fourth Thunder training camp, Wiggins feels good about the direction his team is heading. And says guys such as Caruso, Hartenstein, and the team’s rookies are fitting in seamlessly.</p><p>“It’s awesome. All of the new guys, the rookies, [Hartenstein], Caruso, those guys have kind of fit in right away; both in the locker room and on the court. We all have a similar sense of just the type of people we are,” Wiggins said. “Great people, people with big personalities, different characteristics; all those things kind of mesh well. It all leads to better success on the court, talking to each other, wanting the best out of each other, and pushing each other to be the best. So, those guys have adapted pretty well.”</p><h2><b>Aaron Wiggins sees ‘quick progress’ at Thunder training camp</b></h2><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Aaron Wiggins raves about importance of Alex Caruso addition

<!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', '/thunder-news-lu-dort-revealing-admission-about-alex-caruso');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lu Dort’s revealing admission about Thunder’s Alex Caruso');   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/2024/10/Thunder-news-Lu-Dorts-revealing-admission-about-Alex-Caruso.jpg"></figure><h1>Lu Dort’s revealing admission about Thunder’s Alex Caruso</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-03T12:22:39-07:00">October 3rd, 12:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-03T12:22:39-07:00">October 3rd, 12:22pm</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>After Lu Dort went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, he signed a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder before his promotion from G League’s Blue squad to the association in December. Fast-forward to 2024, and he’s one of Oklahoma City’s veteran leaders on one of the league’s most devastating defenses, a constant thorn in the side of opposing offenses. Before <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-lu-dort-reveals-secret-drawing-offensive-fouls">Dort revealed his secret to drawing offensive fouls</a> at Thunder Media Day, he talked about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8JyEfEk65c&amp;t=3239s" rel="noopener">how excited he is</a> to share the floor with new teammate Alex Caruso — the 2020 Lakers champion guard, who’s coming off back-to-back All-Defensive First and Second Team selections in 2023 and 2024.</p><p>“It brings a lot. It’s gonna bring a lot of good and positive. He has a lot of experience. He’s archived a lot in his career, especially defensively,” Dort said. “For myself, the way I see it is to learn. He’s had a great approach, and he’s been really vocal in leading, which is nice. And me, I’m still learning. I still wanna learn a lot, especially defensively. So, I feel like I can learn a lot from him.”</p><p>After leading the NBA in drawing non-charge offensive fouls in 2023-24, Dort’s making a name for himself as one of the league’s feistiest backcourt defenders. After superstar <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-annoying-assessment-of-alex-caruso-at-practice">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s glowing ‘annoying’ Caruso review</a> this week, it sounds as if Caruso’s settling into his new environment during his first week with the Thunder.</p><h2><b>Lu Dort enters his sixth season with the Thunder</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Thunder-guard-Alex-Caruso.jpg"><figcaption>NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As Alex Caruso is set to debut with his new team, Lu Dort is entering his sixth season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the Thunder’s longest-tenured players, which Dort is proud of while looking back on his career thus far.</p><p>“I took a lot of pride, and I’m forever grateful for the opportunity and the trust that this organization has had in me from the beginning,” Dort said. “They really shaped me as a professional basketball player, honestly. “</p><p>Now, he takes on a newfound leadership role for second — and third-year teammates, such as big men Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and Cason Wallace.</p><p>“Number one thing is really the approach. How you approach the game every time and how you approach a season. To really go out there and compete and play your best. And also, out here, it’s the culture and the togetherness that we have that we want to bring them along with us,” Dort added. “And to teach them that whenever you step out on the court, you’re looking out for yourself but also the team.”</p><p>Dort and the Thunder begin their preseason schedule against the San Antonio Spurs on October 7.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lu Dort’s revealing admission about Thunder’s Alex Caruso

<!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', '/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-annoying-assessment-of-alex-caruso-at-practice');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gives ‘annoying’ assessment of Alex Caruso at practice');   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/2024/10/Thunder-news-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-gives-annoying-assessment-of-Alex-Caruso-at-practice.jpg"></figure><h1>Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gives ‘annoying’ assessment of Alex Caruso at practice</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-01T12:26:17-07:00">October 1st, 12:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-02T15:20:55-07:00">October 2nd, 3:20pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Monday, the Oklahoma City Thunder held their annual Media Day, giving reporters and fans a chance to hear from some of their favorite players, including last year’s MVP runner up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-sam-presti-highlights-shai-gilgeous-alexander-defensive-growth-2024-25">Gilgeous-Alexander enters</a> this year as one of the favorites to compete for the award once again, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-why-mark-daigneault-thrilled-coach-isaiah-hartenstein-alex-caruso">and the Thunder</a> are widely expected to be among the NBA’s elite teams in 2024-25.</p><p>One of the reasons why was the Thunder’s offseason acquisition of shooting guard Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for guard Josh Giddey, who never quite found a role with the current iteration of this Thunder team.</p><p>After practice on Tuesday, Gilgeous-Alexander got hilariously candid about <a href="https://x.com/BrandonRahbar/status/1841167844525928535" rel="noopener">what it’s been like</a> going against Caruso so far, per Brandon Rahbar of Daily Thunder on X, formerly Twitter</p><p>“Exactly as it’s been in the past: annoying as hell,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “Pesky, picks you up full court, get underneath you. Then offensively, he makes the right play, the smart play.”</p><h2><b>How much does Caruso lift the Thunder’s ceiling?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Caruso-at-media-day.jpg"><figcaption>NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Probably quite a bit.</p><p>Perimeter defense was an area of concern for the Thunder during their second round playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks a season ago, and Caruso is one of the NBA’s very best in that department, consistently taking on opposing team’s best scorers and making them work for every bucket they get.</p><p>There is also the proposition of some addition by subtracting in that, for large portions of the postseason, Giddey was virtually unplayable due to his lack of perimeter shooting ability. While Caruso may not be a sniper from out there, he is still someone who defenses have to respect from beyond the arc, which should provide much more spacing for Gilgeous-Alexander to be able to get to his spots.</p><p>The Thunder also shored up their other biggest weakness, rebounding, by signing free agent center Isaiah Hartenstein to a contract that may have been slightly above his real value but is still going to take a lot of pressure off of Chet Holmgren, who remains quite thin for a big man in the NBA.</p><p>On paper, the Thunder have an ideal roster built to compete in the modern NBA, and perhaps the only thing needed now is more experience, as the team showed its lack of that at times in their loss vs the Mavericks.</p><p>In any case, Oklahoma City opens up its season on October 24 on the road vs the Denver Nuggets.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
5.5	2.9	2.5	0.6	1.9

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
5.5	2.9	2.5	0.6	1.9

Alex Caruso news

Alex
Caruso news