Thunder's Taj Gibson: Turns in best game since trade Thursday

Gibson managed 15 points (6-9 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks over 33 minutes in Thursday's 114-109 loss to the Trail Blazers.

Analysis:

The veteran has been coming off the bench behind Domantas Sabonis since arriving via trade from the Bulls. He'd struggled with his efficiency overall, scoring in single digits in two of his first three contests in a Thunder uniform, but may have turned the corner Thursday. Gibson made his presence felt across the stat sheet and posted his best point total since back on Feb. 8 when he was still in Chicago, while also seeing his highest amount of minutes of his first four games in OKC. Given Thursday's breakout effort, it may not be long before the eighth-year pro breaks through into the starting five, although head coach Billy Donovan could opt to keep Gibson as a solid component of his second unit.