After long last, the Oklahoma City Thunder started its season in Denver against the Nuggets.
In a battle of Western Conference heavyweights, OKC came out victorious behind dominant performances from Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a highly competitive matchup.
The Thunder won 102-87, easily defeating the Nuggets and taking over on both sides of the ball.
In the first half, OKC started off poorly. Sloppy turnovers, missed shots and some miscommunications on the defensive end allowed Denver to get out to an early lead.
However, it was the injection of offense from Aaron Wiggins that swung the momentum in the favor of the Thunder and it didn’t look back for the rest of the half. Wiggins went 5-5 in the first half, leading all bench scorers with eleven points in the first half.
Wiggins held the fort until Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren took the reigns of the offense. Gilgeous-Alexander dissected Denver in his typical fashion, dropping mid-range jumpers over the heads of defenders at will and getting to the rim as soon as they overcommit to the jumper. On the other hand, Holmgren flashed some of his newly developed finishing ability to a trio of first-half and-ones.
Jalen Williams played fewer minutes than usual due to picking up two fouls in the early going, but Wiggins, Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren combined for 35 points and helped OKC to a 58-51 halftime lead.
Holmgren was good in the first half, but he took it to another level in the second half. Holmgren was getting to the rim at will and used his shooting ability to hit a few shots from the midrange. On the defensive side, Holmgren was blocking shot after shot, eventually getting his total to…
Holmgren tapped into the unbelievable upside that he possesses that has flown under the radar on a national stage. His potential to dominate both sides of the ball is OKC’s key to the lock that is becoming a perennial championship contender. Holmgren finished the game with 25-14-5, along with 4 blocks and the eye test was even more powerful than the box score.
Late in the game, OKC used its defensive playmaking capabilities to generate fastbreak opportunities. Eventually, the youth and open-court prowess of the Thunder overwhelmed the Nuggets and OKC ran away with the game late.
OKC couldn’t have put together a better start to the season if it wanted to. Going into Denver and dominating what will be one of the best teams in the NBA on national television is the epitome of a statement game for a team facing massive expectations for the first time.
With Isaiah Hartenstein still on the shelf, Alex Caruso still working his way into the lineup and Williams playing poorly and still recovering from an ankle injury, there is plenty of room to grow for this OKC team — and it just thrashed a title contender on the road.
No one knows how this season will go, but OKC just confirmed what many thought heading into this season — the sky is truly the limit for the Thunder.
Great story! Great game!!!! Go Thunder !