The Oklahoma City Thunder continued to roll through the preseason Tuesday, this time heading to take on Michael Porter Jr. and the Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets were without stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray and were also missing offseason addition and Thunder icon Russell Westbrook. By the end, the starless Nuggets were simply out-talented and OKC posted a dominant 124-94 win.
Even with Jokic inactive, the Thunder started the duo of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein for the first time and they didn’t disappoint. The numbers may not show it, but Hartenstein and Holmgren’s on-court fit was clear from the first play of the game Tuesday. On OKC’s first possession, Hartenstein set an off-ball screen for Holmgren, who used the screen to get a good look in the midrange.
Holmgren’s mobility combined with Hartenstein’s ability to either set screens or be used as a hub in the high post will be key if the two want to share significant time on the court this season and the returns are good early.
OKC’s process was sound from the opening tip, but the results didn’t come right away. The Nuggets rode their available role players to a 33-30 lead after the first quarter.
Outside of the center duo’s chemistry, Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued to show the new additions to their games.
Gilgeous-Alexander continued to showcase his new, accelerated jumper — specifically from deep. Gilgeous-Alexander hoisted from three six times in his one half of play, hitting 50% of those looks including one catch-and-shoot look from the left corner. Williams joined Gilgeous-Alexander in expanding his range, but he also showed off his improved strength with a multitude of crafty moves where he shook off opposing defenders and hit midrange jumpers.
OKC’s stars all showed up and played their part on the offensive end, but it was on defense where it started to pull away. Bally Sports’ Chris Fischer compared the OKC defense to the vaunted 2000 Baltimore Ravens at one point during the game — and for good reason.
The Thunder were nearing double-digit steals as a team at halftime, using its overwhelming length and impressive instincts to poke the ball away and jump into passing lanes. OKC rode that defense to a halftime lead and never looked back in the second half, despite Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren all spending the whole half on the bench.
OKC’s defense continued to dominate in the second half and the lead ballooned with it. Denver left its fast start in the rearview mirror, and the guards of the Thunder continued to fill the role of Ed Reed in intercepting pass after pass.
By the end of the third quarter, the Thunder lead had grown to 14 and it had sat down most of the players who will be key contributors in the regular season.
With help from Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, the Thunder reserves put Denver away.
Ajay Mitchell and Dillon Jones once again showed that they have a chance to be role player for OKC in a few years, both displaying deep scoring bags on multiple occasions.
With the preseason nearing an end and the regular season rapidly approaching, OKC fans have to be giddy. The new acquisitions of Hartenstein and Alex Caruso have fit seamlessly so far, with both understanding their roles clearly in their first few weeks with their new teams.
Tuesday’s win over Denver will fade from memory and in fact, will mean absolutely nothing in the long run. That being said, if Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander carry this newfound willingness to shoot threes into the regular season and Hartenstein and Caruso fit perfectly into their roles as they have to this point, OKC is sure to live up to the insanely high expectations set by the outside world.
Excellent story!!!