Three Takeaways From the OKC Thunder's Dominant Outing Against the Chicago Bulls

A sixth-straight win for the Western Conference's No. 2 seed came in the form of a strong home stand against the visiting Chicago Bulls. Here are th

If it was made known that Oklahoma City Thunder was sitting 0.5 games back from first place in the Western Conference through 15 games of the regular season, not many avid NBA supporters would believe it. 

Yes, adding Chet Holmgren to the mix was set to provide a much-needed two-way boost, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was likely to play even better than he did a season prior after showing out for the FIBA World Cup, but second place? Nearly first? 

Not likely. 

That was the general sentiment surrounding the NBA's second-youngest squad. With strong pieces, winning games was inevitable, but not expected nearly as quickly or as often as the Thunder has made it happen. Wednesday night's 116-102 win over the Bulls was one of those wins, and it certainly didn't disappoint.

Oklahoma City is now on a six-game win streak and looking like one of the league's premiere squads for multiple reasons, which is exactly where it hoped it would be. 

So, that being said, here are three takeaways from its dominant win over Chicago: 

Nov 22, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates with guard Isaiah Joe (11) after scoring a three-point basket and gets the foul during the second half at Paycom Center / © Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

1) Superhero SGA

The Thunder is looking better than it has been in a while. That's no secret. 

Most of that is due to Sam Presti's patience and roster construction beginning to come together. Between Jalen Williams' stellar development and the addition of Holmgren into the mix, Oklahoma City has a strong squad. It might look different throughout, but there is one key piece that has remained the same: Gilgeous-Alexander.

Wednesday night was just another game for the point guard. In 37 minutes, he dropped 40 points, dished out 12 assists and added five rebounds and three steals to make for a well-rounded outing, but that's nothing new. 

Gilgeous-Alexander is and has been the best player on the Thunder, and in games like the Bulls victory, his production on both ends of the floor is certainly needed. Oklahoma City might be emerging as a Western-Conference frontrunner, but having a star like Gilgeous-Alexander to rely on consistently is a big deal. It just has to hope that the entire team can continue to gel around him.

2) Where Are the Weak Spots?

That being said, it's a good idea to look at other key players for Oklahoma City. 

Isaiah Joe continues to knock down shots from beyond the arc consistently. Add in Holmgren's defensive presence — he notched four blocks against the Bulls — and a few other players who rotate their production like Cason Wallace, Kenrich Williams, Jalen Williams, Luguentz Dort and even Vasilije Micic and all of a sudden you have a deep squad. 

The Thunder's well-rounded roster is one of its biggest strengths as a whole, and that was absolutely on display against the Bulls. 

All but two players who saw game action found the bottom of the bucket at least once, and every player on the court finished with a positive plus-minus. Out-playing a team on both ends of the floor is difficult enough, let alone doing so while every single player nets a positive rating. 

The Thunder simply proved to be the better team Wednesday night, and now that the win streak has improved to six games, it's hard to pinpoint any glaring weaknesses. 

But for Oklahoma City, that's entirely a good thing. 

3) You'll Take Those Odds

One of the more specific strong suits for the Thunder came from the field Wednesday night. 

While Joe continued to do his thing from 3-point range, shooting 5-for-7 and totaling 20 points, the rest of the team seemed to follow suit. Gilgeous-Alexander was efficient on the night, as was Holmgren, Kenrich Williams, Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins — all players who finished with a shooting percentage north of 50 percent. 

As a team, Oklahoma City shot 49 percent from the field — 11 percentage points higher than Chicago — and near 40 percent from deep. It's ability to knock down shots from everywhere on the field was a big part of why, and again, that was fueled by an all-around performance from every player. 

As the Thunder continues to work its way down the schedule, it'll look to keep up the high shooting clips. And one percent below 50 from the field? You'll take that.

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