Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren on Thursday hit a shot that Duke and Kentucky fans alike probably recognized.
The Thunder held a 36-30 lead in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinals matchup against the Dallas Mavericks at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.
With 1.4 seconds left in the first quarter, OKC was inbounding all the way from the opposite baseline.
Jaylin Williams threw what appeared to be a Hail Mary throw to Holmgren. The 7’1″ big man caught it like he was Odell Beckham Jr. and drained a turnaround shot to beat the buzzer.
What a CATCH and SHOT by Chet Holmgren who drills the three at the buzzer to end the 1st quarter 🤯pic.twitter.com/aeWDgrT2RU
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 10, 2024
Here’s another angle of the shot in slow motion.
WHAT A PASS.
WHAT A CATCH.
WHAT A SHOT.Chet and J-Will playing football in Game 2 🤩 https://t.co/nDrn68SHqG pic.twitter.com/OTwQ0qF1SI
— NBA (@NBA) May 10, 2024
Fans on X couldn’t help but see the similarities to the iconic shot from Duke alum Christian Laettner during the 1992 NCAA Tournament.
CHET HOLMGREN JUST CHRISTIAN LAETTNER’D THE MAVS
— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) May 10, 2024
Chet with the Christian Laettner special at the buzzer ⚡️
Luka went absolutely bonkers in the first quarter and OKC only trails by 4 points after one.
Dallas 36-32.
▫️ SGA: 10 PTS, 2 AST
▫️ J. Will: 8 PTS,
▫️ J. Dub: 6 PTS, 2 AST— Addam M. Francisco, MSLB 🇭🇹 (@SuaveCEO_) May 10, 2024
Pretty nice to have a target with a 7’6 wingspan when running the Grant Hill to Christian Laettner play
— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) May 10, 2024
The Laettner shot of course happened during a much more critical moment in the game. The Duke legend drained the go-ahead shot with 2.1 seconds left to send his team to the Final Four over rival Kentucky.
But Holmgren does get plus points for making a much more difficult catch with even less time on the clock. The Thunder big man had 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists at halftime against the Mavericks.
