Copyright Sports Illustrated
The Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night to complete a 126-102 rout and give them their eleventh win. OKC was short-handed again as Lu Dort and Jalen Williams didn’t take the court, but it was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren who led the Thunder to success. Gilgeous-Alexander continued his streak with games with more than 20 points as he had 28 points in 28 minutes. He also added 11 assists to claim a double-double. Holmgren would also have a double-double and would be a true second option for the Thunder on Tuesday night. In a game where the Thunder dominated, they learned multiple things and kept building in areas where they had already succeeded. Here are three takeaways from the Thunder’s dominant win over the Warriors. 1. Chet Holmgren is ready to be named an All-Star Chet Holmgren has continuously proven that he’s an All-Star caliber player, and he’s ready to actually receive the title. Holmgren had to be the Thunder’s second option once again as Jalen Williams missed again Tuesday night due to his wrist injury. Chet got the night started quickly, as in the first half, he shot 100% from the court and had 11 points. Holmgren added eight rebounds and a block to his impressive first half, but he wasn’t done there. Holmgren ended the night with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while not missing a shot the entire night as he went 9-9. Holmgren was a large part of the Thunder’s win and continues to prove he’s an All-Star. 2. The Thunder are unbeatable when they hit shots The Thunder shot the ball incredibly tonight, especially in the first half. The Thunder actually shot better from three-point range in the first half than overall, as they shot 53.3% from beyond the arc and 52.4% from the floor. This fantastic shooting catapulted the Thunder to a 19-point lead at half, where the Thunder scored 63 points. The Thunder would finish the game shooting 50.6% from the floor and 44.4% from three. Just like the first half, this shooting would propel them to blow out the Thunder and walk away from this game with an easy win. 3. The Thunder are chasing history The Oklahoma City Thunder are now 11-1 on the season as they handled the Warriors pretty easily. The thing is, they haven’t been fully healthy all season. The Thunder have not seen Jalen Williams play this season, and have been without Lu Dort and Holmgren for multiple games in the early stretch. With the pace the Thunder are on, they would break the regular season record for games won, and it might not be that crazy to say they have a good shot. If the Thunder are able to dominate this much not being at full power, the league is not ready for them when they are.
