OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren won his center matchup with Jonas Valanciunas and helped Oklahoma City beat the New Orleans Pelicans 124-92 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series Wednesday night.
Holmgren had 26 points and seven rebounds as the Thunder took a 2-0 lead. He made 9 of 13 field goals to support Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 33-point effort.
“He was really good," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "He was in the actions, got out of them and then put their defense in a bind almost all of the night. And he was making shots, putting it down. He was A-plus tonight, for sure.”
Valanciunas scored 11 points in the first three minutes but did little damage after that. He finished with 19 points and seven rebounds.
The two offer contrasting styles.
Holmgren, listed as 7-foot-1 and a slender 208 pounds, is the new-age center who shoots 3-pointers and can defend any position. He's a finalist for Rookie of the Year and one of the league's best shot blockers.
Valanciunas is a 7-foot, 270-pound traditional big man. He's a hulking presence who is at his best punishing opponents near the hoop.
Valanciunas made 5 of 7 field goals in the first quarter, but 3 of 7 the rest of the game.
“Obviously, he’s a good player and he’s confident in his ability,” Holmgren said. “They’re going to him in the post, trying to have him make some plays down there, and it’s my job to make those plays as tough as possible. He’s a good player. I’m not going to shut him out on a decent amount of touches. So I've just got to make those as hard as possible and it’ll work out in our favor if I do my job.”
Holmgren struggled at times with the matchup in Game 1, a 94-92 win for Oklahoma City. Though he had 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks that night, Valanciunas had 13 points and 20 rebounds, including nine offensive boards.
Early in Game 2, while Valanciunas was doing damage in the paint, Holmgren was stretching the defense. He scored 13 points in the first seven minutes, including three 3-pointers. His 15 points in the first quarter were the most any Thunder rookie has scored in any quarter of a playoff game.
In Game 1, Holmgren opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, then missed his next six shots. In Game 2, he went 5-for-5 from the field in the opening quarter.
“In the first game, I hit my first one and then threw up like four bricks after that," he said. “So I just wanted to come out ready tonight to make my shots and capitalize on the advantages that we have out there.”
Holmgren helped set the tone with his willingness to mix it up with Valanciunas. When he wasn't making 3-pointers, he was standing up to his much stronger opponent in the paint and using his long arms to help limit Valanciunas to two offensive rebounds.
“They came out physical," Valanciunas said. "They were aggressors. So we kind of — I don’t know what to say. Like, we didn’t expect them to play that way, and that’s on us. It’s not acceptable. It was a shame today.”
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New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) grabs the ball in front of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, back, during the first half in Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas, right, shoots a reverse shot against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) during the first half in Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) is defended by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) during the first half in Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia has been engulfed by huge protests triggered by a proposed law that critics see as a threat to media freedom and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union.
Here is a look at the bill and the protests it has ignited:
The bill would require media and nongovernmental organizations and other nonprofits to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20% of funding from abroad.
The legislature approved a second reading of the bill Wednesday, and the third and final reading is expected later this month.
The proposed legislation is nearly identical to the one that the governing Georgian Dream party was pressured to withdraw last year after street protests.
The governing party says the bill is necessary to stem what it deems as harmful foreign influence over the country’s political scene and to prevent unidentified foreign actors from trying to destabilize the country’s political scene.
The opposition denounces the bill as “the Russian law” because Moscow uses similar legislation to stigmatize independent news media and organizations critical of the Kremlin. Opponents of the bill say the fact that it is now before parliament is a sign of Moscow’s purported influence over Georgia. They fear it will become an impediment to the country’s long-sought prospects of joining the European Union.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, who is increasingly at odds with the governing party, has vowed to veto the law, but Georgian Dream has a majority sufficient to override a presidential veto.
Russia-Georgia relations have been strained and turbulent since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
In August 2008, Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, which had made a botched attempt to regain control over the breakaway province of South Ossetia. Moscow then recognized South Ossetia and another separatist province, Abkhazia, as independent states and beefed up its military presence there. Most of the world considers both breakaway regions to be parts of Georgia, a former Soviet republic.
Tbilisi has ruptured diplomatic ties with Moscow, and the separatist regions’ status remains a key irritant, even as Russia-Georgia relations have improved in recent years.
The opposition United National Movement accuses Georgian Dream, which was founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, of serving Moscow’s interests — an accusation the governing party vehemently denies.
For several successive days, thousands of demonstrators besieged the parliament building in a bid to block the bill’s passage and scuffled with police.
Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds. Over 60 protesters have been arrested and several people have been injured. Levan Khabeishvili, chairman of the United National Movement, was among those injured.
On Thursday, parliament canceled its scheduled session, saying the move was because of damage to the building during Wednesday’s protests.
Another demonstration by thousands of people took place on Friday night, including a march to protest outside Georgian Dream's headquarters, but there were no reports of clashes.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has described the parliament’s move as “a very concerning development” and warned that “final adoption of this legislation would negatively impact Georgia’s progress on its EU path.”
“This law is not in line with EU core norms and values,” Borrell said in a statement last month. “The proposed legislation would limit the capacity of civil society and media organizations to operate freely, could limit freedom of expression and unfairly stigmatize organizations that deliver benefits to the citizens of Georgia.”
A demonstrator gestures standing between opposition protesters who gather to protest against "the Russian law" in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
Riot police use a water cannon during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, Tuesday night, April 30, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
EDS NOTE: OBSCENITY - A demonstrator gestures trying as riot police use a water cannon during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, Tuesday night, April 30, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
Police use water cannons and tear gas against demonstrators during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Protesters denounce the bill as "the Russian law" because Moscow uses similar legislation to stigmatize independent news media and organizations critical of the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
Police face demonstrators during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Protesters denounce the bill as "the Russian law" because Moscow uses similar legislation to stigmatize independent news media and organizations critical of the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
A demonstrator gestures while arguing with the police during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Protesters denounce the bill as "the Russian law" because Moscow uses similar legislation to stigmatize independent news media and organizations critical of the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
Demonstrators wave Georgian national flag during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Protesters denounce the bill as "the Russian law" because Moscow uses similar legislation to stigmatize independent news media and organizations critical of the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
A woman shows a heart standing in front of riot police during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
Demonstrators scuffle with riot police during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
A couple embrace during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
Demonstrators sit in front of police line during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
Riot police use a water cannon during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
