Devonte’ Graham’s long-range buzzer smashers unearth wild ending in Thunder-Pelicans thriller
Once the regular NBA season is in full swing, it’s hard to expect much from Wednesday night’s November showdown between the two teams at the end of the Western Conference.
However, the Pelicans and Thunder had other ideas. Two rebuilding franchises went head-to-head in Oklahoma City, in a game that featured 15 changeovers and 14 draws, delivering one of the craziest endings in the league’s regular-season history. fight.
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The final score of 113-110 is far from telling the whole story.
Devonte clutch ‘Graham
There is no timeout, only 1.4 seconds left on the clock and the score is 110-110, this match will begin to enter extra time. That’s how it usually goes with the situations mentioned earlier but Devonte’ Graham made a difference to this game by putting his name in history.
Nailing a prayer from near the 3-point line on the opposite side of the field, the 6-foot-1 keeper not only sealed victory, but nailed one of the longest winning buzzer in NBA history.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the 61-foot shot is the longest winning buzzer-beater in the game in 25 years. This is Graham’s fifth trio in the game, scoring all of his 15 points from outside the arc while also creating the game’s highest eight assists.
“Yes, I called the bank on that number,” Graham said after the game. “You know today is the 15th. We got paid today. Take it to the bank.”
This hit comes nearly three weeks after Graham nailed a clutch hit in Salt Lake City to lead the Pelicans to an upset win over the Utah Jazz.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander set it up
The epic finish wouldn’t have happened without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s clutch strike from outside the arc. Appearing with a timeout of 4.5 seconds and a drop of 110-107, the Canadian keeper’s prayer from nearly half a point forced everything back up.
Two consecutive backstrokes put the game on par with the closest competitions in recent NBA history.
Devonte’ Graham takes a 61-foot shot on the whistle to win the game. It’s the longest winning typing game in 25 years
It was the first game in the past 25 seasons to feature multiple shots that tie a match or go over 30 meters in 5 seconds of a game.
– ESPN Statistics & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 16, 2021
Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with the team’s top 33, but couldn’t stop the team from sliding to a third straight loss – 13th of the past 16. Furthermore, the loss put the Thunder in an insurmountable position at the bottom of the Western Conference.
No game ends without Brandon Ingram
Even before the SGA and Graham grew in strength, it was the five-six-pointed Brandon Ingram that instigated the return of the Pelicans. The Thunder held on to a 12-goal lead midway through the second quarter but Ingram ensured the game wouldn’t end with an easy win for the hosts.
In the last three minutes of the game, Ingram beat Thunder 10-8 and scored all of the Pelicans’ points in that period, preventing Graham from winning the game.
He finished the game with a top 34 on the penalty spot and was invaluable in helping the team continue the first leg.
The win is the Pelicans’ sixth in their last 11 games, starting the season 3-16 after the first 19 games.