This time, Abdel Nader’s fourth quarter decisions carried weight.
Late in a close game, Nader drove the lane but came up against resistance from the Pelicans. He kicked a pass out to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander then retreated to the right wing. There, Nader called for the ball. Gilgeous-Alexander obliged.
Nader swished the catch-and-shoot 3-pointer in one smooth motion.
In the Thunder’s 109-104 win over the Pelicans on Friday at Chesapeake Energy Arena, it needed a surge from someone other than its usual scorers. Nader provided that extra boost with 19 points off the bench.
“I’m really happy for him,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said, “because there’s nobody that works harder or is more committed or is in the gym more than he is.