Alex Caruso receives a technical foul for hitting the ball with his shoe.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso states he has gained insight: no more shoe swipes while defending.
Caruso experienced a viral incident during Tuesday’s matchup against the Magic, as he attempted to use his dislodged shoe to deflect a layup from Orlando’s Tristan da Silva. He was penalized for goaltending and received a technical foul for an illegal defensive maneuver.
“Once I had my shoe in hand, the thought crossed my mind to use it,” Caruso shared with The Oklahoman following the game. “Not in a harmful manner, but more like, ‘Let me try to make a play to stop the ball.’ It’s just one of those unusual NBA moments that likely won’t occur again for another decade.”
The three points following Caruso’s creative attempt contributed to a 23-6 run by the Magic to conclude the second quarter, allowing them to narrow the score to a 51-50 deficit at halftime. However, the Thunder (54-15) went on to secure a 113-108 victory, becoming the first NBA team to secure a playoff spot this season.
Caruso, who recorded two points and eight rebounds while achieving a team-high plus-19 in 24 minutes, indicated he will refrain from attempting anything similar in the future.
“I’ve never encountered that situation before,” Caruso remarked to The Oklahoman. “And I don’t know, it just came to me. I thought I could block it, and honestly, I wasn’t sure what the outcome would be. I didn’t realize it would result in a goaltending and a technical foul. Had I known, I probably wouldn’t have done it because it’s three points.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points, extending his record streak to 129 games with 20 or more points as the Thunder achieved their 10th consecutive win.
