OKC Rookie Chet Holmgren Blocks 7 Shots As Thunder Clear Cleveland On the Road
Coming off of an opening night victory on the road was exactly the start that the Oklahoma City Thunder were hoping for on Wednesday evening against the Chiago Bulls.
But what good is a win like that if it couldn't recreate it in the ensuing contests?
That's exactly what the Thunder was out to prove Friday, as it hit the road for the second straight game — this time to Cleveland to take on Donovan Mitchell's Cavaliers. Safe to say, it did its job.
A combination of big bench production and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's usual production made all the difference against Chicago a game prior to the Thunder's matchup against the Cavs, but while that bench unit didn't quite have the same outing Friday evening, Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort certainly did.
Together, the pair combined for 59 points on the night while Holmgren registered five blocks in the first half, finishing the game with seven to go alongside his 16 points, 13 rebounds and one steal in what became all-around performance for the rookie.
Those performances ultimately made the difference for the Thunder, as it was able to survive and advance, taking a 108-105 victory back to Oklahoma City.
Holmgren and the Thunder started quick, as the rookie registered his first block just three minutes into the contest, as he denied Evan Mobley near the rim, which led to a Gilgeous-Alexander pull-up make to give the Thunder an early 7-0 lead.
From there, the Cavs found their stride behind Isaac Okoro and Donovan Mitchell, who combined for 15 first quarter points to help keep Cleveland in striking distance. Despite their best efforts, however, the Cavs found themselves down 31-26 after one.
The second quarter followed suit. Holmgren registered another four blocks — including a 3-pointer attempt from Max Strus — to give the Thunder a chance at turning turnovers into points. And they capitalized. By halftime, Holmgren had five total blocks, Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort had combined for 27 points and the Thunder had a double digit lead, 52-42.
Cleveland came out hot in the second half, using a barrage of scoring to cut the lead down to just three points before Holmgren answered with a two-point shot to add to Oklahoma City's cushion.
It wasn't long before the Cavs fought back and tied the game at 62 a piece before taking a lead for the first time since midway through the first quarter. From there, a back-and-forth battle ensued between both squads, led by Mitchell and Caris LeVert for Cleveland and Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort for Oklahoma City.
By the end of the third quarter, neither team was able to pull away, though the Thunder did gain the slight edge, taking a 79-75 lead to the final quarter.
The fourth quarter saw more action than all three of the others combined, as thw Thunder remained in battle with the Cavs for the entirety of the period. Between Strus, Mitchell and Okoro, Cleveland was able to take a lead of four before a Chet Holmgren 3-pointer cut it back to one.
Being down by just one score was the closest that Oklahoma City would get until under a minute to play, when another Holmgren 3-pointer tied the game at 102 points each before Dort gave the Thunder back the lead. Then, free throws secured the deal for Oklahoma City despite a last-second 3-pointer from Mitchell — who finished with 43 points on the night — as it walked away with a 108-105 road victory.
With the win, Oklahoma City improves to 2-0, with the same record on the road, and will return home for its next matchup against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, which could set the tone for the Thunder against a loaded Western Conference.
Tipoff from Paycom Center is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CST Sunday afternoon.
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