Three Takeaways from OKC's Second Straight Win Over Houston

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Houston Rockets in back-to-back games, adding to its ongoing winning streak.

With the 40-win mark crossed and in the rear-view mirror, the Oklahoma City Thunder took to its home court with one goal and one goal only: keep winning. 

It had done so all-season long, and with a young Houston Rockets squad standing opposite it for the second straight game, that was certainly feasible. 

But easy? Not quite. At least, not until midway through the third quarter. 

A 17-point margin of victory over Houston suggested that the Thunder had no issues throughout the night, and while its 41st victory didn't take too much strain, consistency was going be the key to keeping its six-game win streak alive. 

The players knew that — and it wasn't just the starters, either.   

In fact, everyone in orange and blue threads knew what was at stake. 

Here are three takeaways from Oklahoma City's 112-95 victory over the Rockets:

Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

A Strong Night For Giddey

As tumultuous as this season has been for Josh Giddey, Tuesday night was a nice change of pace for him. 

The 20-year-old put up 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists on 6-of-11 shooting in just over 20 minutes. He made a significant impact in the relatively low amount of playing time he received, which might help his position in the lineup going forward.

There’s been discussion lately on if Giddey should move to the Thunder’s bench or not, mainly because of his offensive struggles. If he can play like this going forward, however, it might be in Oklahoma City’s best interest to keep him plugged in one of the guard spots in the lineup.

Giddey’s leadership even showed after the game, which is just another reason as to why the Thunder carries such a strong team atmosphere.

"It was a team effort," Giddey said. "We played them the other night. We both made changes, [but] it's 1-through-15. Everyone who stepped on the floor tonight made an impact."

Playoff Feels

It’s not often that teams play each other in back-to-back fashion, but for Houston and Oklahoma City, that was the case over the last couple of days.

It’s natural to feel a playoff atmosphere in that situation, which is exactly what the Thunder felt.

It’s a young roster that will be stepping into the playoffs for the first time as a unit, so there’s certainly a lot of inexperience.. Although Oklahoma City shouldn’t expect to play the Rockets in the playoffs, the atmosphere was very similar to what it could expect in April.

The likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren had fantastic performances, which is what it’ll need from its best players when the playoffs roll around.

Meaningful Bench Production

Although much of the spotlight on Oklahoma City’s season has been the MVP case of Gilgeous-Alexander or the ROTY case for Holmgren, the bench has had sneaky great production. 

None of the bench stats exactly jump off the page from last night — nobody scored over six points individually — but nearly every player gave efficient minutes that impacted the game on both sides of the court. 

Isaiah Joe and Jaylin Williams both had a plus-minus of +14, which was the best on the entire team. That number portrayed how much better the Thunder is when they are on the court.

The new addition of Gordon Hayward hasn’t quite settled in yet, but his veteran presence is good enough for him to have a place in the lineup. He recorded five points and four rebounds, and even caught a lob from Holmgren in the highlight play of the night. 

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