3 Takeaways From the OKC Thunder’s Dominant Win in Chicago

The Thunder continued to send a message to the rest of the league with another blowout win.

Oct 26, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket against Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City continued its hot start to the season with an impressive win in Chicago.

The Thunder beat the Bulls 114-95 on Saturday in United Center in Chicago to move to 2-0 this season. After winning in Chicago to begin last season, the Thunder’s trip to Chicago was part of another strong start this season.

After the teams played evenly through the first quarter and a half, the Thunder began to take control. A 22-3 run to end the first half pushed Oklahoma City’s lead to 20 going into halftime, and Chicago never made much of a push to get back into the game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was in midseason form again, scoring 23 points and grabbing four steals. Meanwhile, Jalen Williams had a bounce-back performance and narrowly missed out on a triple-double, finishing with 24 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

Let’s dive into three lessons that can be learned from yesterday’s game.

Oct 26, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Chet Holmgren is the Thunder’s second option

The biggest takeaway from the Thunder’s first game was Holmgren’s impressive play. In Chicago, he proved it was far from a fluke.

The biggest difference from Holmgren this season is his willingness and ability to put the ball on the floor. This was a point of emphasis coming into the season, and it is already paying off.

Against the Bulls, Holmgren had 21 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks. While his outside shot hasn’t started falling yet, his aggressiveness inside has helped him have a strong start to his potential All-Star campaign.

OKC needs to keep shooting

Through the first two games, Oklahoma City has seemingly been focused on increasing 3-point volume. Specifically, the Thunder’s stars have been more willing to shoot from outside and have looked for that shot more.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has taken 15 3-point shots, making four. Jalen Williams has taken 12 3-point shots, making three.

Along with the stars struggling from deep, the entire team has been in a slump to open the season. After leading the league in 3-point shooting percentage last season at 38.9%, the Thunder are shooting only 16-of-76 from deep so far this season.

With the Thunder heading home for the second night of a back-to-back, they will need to stay aggressive from outside. Adding volume to their 3-point shooting could be a long process, but it could pay off come playoff time.

The Thunder could have the league’s best defense

Although the Thunder have played a couple of offensively challenged teams to begin the season, they have looked dominant on that end for stretches. Against the Bulls, a 22-3 run late in the second quarter ballooned the Thunder’s lead to 20 before halftime.

That stretch might have been more about Oklahoma City’s ability to make shots, as its defense was consistent all night. Oklahoma City consistently prevented Chicago from getting paint touches and forced long shots throughout.

The Thunder forced 26 turnovers, including 15 steals, against the Bulls while holding them to 34.8% shooting. For reference, the Thunder led the league in forcing turnovers last season and only forced 26 or more turnovers twice.

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The Thunder affirmed their status as contenders in their first two games and have plenty to look forward to this season. Oklahoma City will look to continue its stretch of good play to begin the season on Sunday when it hosts the Atlanta Hawks in the home opener.

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