Stiles Points: NBA Cup Valuable Experience For OKC Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are playing intense games with double the stakes in the early season. The NBA Cup is a massive win for the Thunder.

Nov 15, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) reacts during the fourth quarter of a game against the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder are still the youngest team in the NBA...pause for a collective sigh sweeping over Bricktown. Sure, you can be tired of hearing it, but it remains a fact for the Thunder who have championship aspirations for the 2024-25 campaign.

This season has started with no shortage of adversity for the OKC Thunder. In training camp, the Thunder lost Kenrich Williams and Jaylin Williams to injuries. In the preseason, it was Isaiah Hartenstein who had to bow out due to a hand fracture. This week, Chet Holmgren was shelved with a hip injury set to sideline him for a significant portion of the seaosn.

Currently, the Thunder are playing without a center only getting Kenrich Williams back from that list. Oklahoma City though, just keeps winning. After knocking off the Suns in their first game of the NBA Cup, they are 3-0 in games Holmgren has not suited up for.

Sure, this is not sustainable forever, but it is certainly working out better than the dooms day picture painted during the aftermath of the initial injury. That's where the NBA Cup benefits the Thunder.

For a group with just one playoff run under their belt, to play in high level games with double the stakes attached to them is good. Especially now with different players up and down the roster needing to step up without the assurance of their top three bailing them out.

That's what made head coach Mark Daigneault excited about the possibiliies this in season tournament grants.

Stiles Points

• The Oklahoma City Thunder smothered the Phoenix Suns, holding them to just 29 percent shooting from the floor.
• Lu Dort harrassed Devin Booker all night, holding the lone scoring threat on the Suns roster to a dreadful 2-for-10 night. Booker totaled 12 points, four rebounds and four assists.
• The small ball Thunder out rebounded the Thunder and ran big man Jusuf Nurkic off the floor as the Suns big was a -10 in his minutes, held scoreless and only collected eight boards.
• Buddy Boeheim set an OKC Blue record for 3-pointers made in a game with 12. He lifted the Thunder's G League affiliate to a 2-0 start. This outing marks just the fifth time in G League history a player has tossed in 12 triples.
• The Thunder saw Isaiah Hartenstein go through his most intense pregame warm up of the season, without a brace on his fractured hand signaling good progress for the big man who closes in on a return.

Song of the Day: Sam's Place by Buck Owens

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