Hamidou Diallo finds his rhythm in second start
Hamidou Diallo kept his eyes trained on the floor for most of his interview after the 117-113 loss at Sacramento on Monday. Then he was asked about running past opposing players in transition, specifically his former Kentucky teammate De’Aaron Fox.
“Me and Fox, we had a couple races,” Diallo said, “so it is what it is.”
Who won those races? “Mmm,” Diallo said, then raised a knowing eyebrow, smiling.
The Thunder were without Terrance Ferguson
(personal) and Alex Abrines
(illness) the past two games, that loss at Sacramento and a 110-100 win at Phoenix.
Diallo has started in each. He had a quiet impact on Saturday, but on Monday he scored 18 points on seven shots and two free throw attempts, sinking every single one. He even beat speedy Fox in a sprint across the court, and Diallo was the one dribbling.
“It’s no surprise,” Paul George said Monday after the game. “I’ve been seeing that he has star talent, he’s got star potential in him. We see it on a day-to-day basis just in practice. I mean, the kid plays like he’s been playing ball in this league for years. You forget that he is a rookie.”
The Thunder as a whole, including Diallo, played a shoddy defensive first quarter. But when Diallo returned in the second quarter, he recorded two steals and went 5-of-5 from the field in a single period.
He splashed both his 3-point attempts, one in the second quarter and one in the third, to double his season total.
“It’s something I’ve been working on, so some days it’s going to be on, some days it’s going to be off,” Diallo said of his jump shot. “I’ve just got to keep improving and stay levelheaded with it.”
Injury update
Thunder coach Billy Donovan told reporters at practice Tuesday afternoon that he was hopeful Ferguson would rejoin the team Tuesday night. Ferguson was excused from the Thunder’s games Saturday at Phoenix and Monday at Sacramento for personal reasons.
Abrines, Nerlens Noel (illness) and Jerami Grant (right ankle) will be reevaluated before Wednesday’s game at Golden State to determine their availability, per the Thunder.
Thunder expands radio network
The Thunder has added a Kansas City radio affiliate, the team announced Tuesday, making Kansas City’s KWOD 1660 AM one of 15 stations broadcasting OKC games across 13 cities this season.
Three things to know
•Warriors guard Stephen Curry will not play Wednesday. Curry has missed the Warriors’ last six games with a left groin strain. Draymond Green has missed the Warriors’ last two games and is day-to-day with a toe injury.
•The Thunder kept Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson to a combined 1-of-13 from 3-point range in the opening game of the season. The Thunder lost 108-100.
•Russell Westbrook (5.6) and Paul George (4.9) are first and fourth, respectively, in the NBA in points off turnovers per game.