Three Takeaways From OKC Thunder's Close Win Over Miami Heat

The Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back from its NBA Cup FInal loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Dec 20, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2), Oklahoma City forward Jalen Williams (8) and Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith (24) wait for a rebound during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Days after its NBA Cup Final loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a stronger showing and defeated the Miami Heat, 104-97.

With Jimmy Butler exiting early due to a sickness, the Thunder were able to take advantage against a less than 100% Heat roster. Jalen Williams led the effort with 33 points, six rebounds and four assists on 12-of-25 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.

It was a much improved outing from its 5-of-32 shooting from behind the arc against Milwuakee, this time going 14-of-34. It's been a struggle point for Oklahoma City as of late, but the performance could've been a momentum boster.

Here are three takeaways from the seven-point win:

More Threes, More Success

It's no surprise that more makes from the 3-point line transitioned into a better opportunity to win basketball games.

The Thunder shot 41% from behind the arc as a collective unit, including four from Williams and Luguentz Dort. Though not incredibly efficient, a 3-of-9 clip for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was much more encouraging than his NBA Cup Final performance.

Some typically efficient shooters — such as Isaiah Joe — had off-nights, however. The guard only shot 1-of-5, a rare occasion for one of the NBA's best shooters. Even his woes didn't prevent a good night overall, and ideally for Oklahoma City, it'll translate to an improvement down the road.

There's still a possibility that the Thunder need to find help through the trade machine, but at least as of now, there seems to be signs of life from the 3-pointer.

Hartenstein Dominates the Glass

Rebounding was an area that led to Oklahoma City's demise against the Bucks, but against Miami, it became a strength with the dominance of Isaiah Hartenstein.

The center recorded 13 points and 18 rebounds, which included five offensive rebounds. The second chance opportunites he gave the Thunder helped immensely for it to gain offensive momentum, and without it, it would've been tough to outrebound a team with a former All-Star in Bam Adebayo.

However, Hartenstein largely outplayed Adebayo. The Heat center only put up 17 points and 10 rebounds — including three offensive — a lesser rebounding effort. Going toe-to-toe against a player of his status was impressive, showing just how good of a defensive player that Hartenstein is.

As a whole, Oklahoma City recorded 12 offensive boards. There aren't too many nights where rebounding is going to be one of the separators for it to win without the services of Chet Holmgren, but last night, it was.

Limiting Miami

It's been no secret that defense has been the driving force behind the Thunder's 22-5 season, and that was fully on display against the Heat.

Miami only shot 43% from the field and 30% from behind the arc — much worse efficiency compared to Oklahoma City. Its defense exceptionally locked down on the perimeter, preventing the likes of Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson finding any success.

The Heat aren't particularly a strong offensive unit, but regardless, the Thunder stepping up on defense the way it did allowed it to come away with a win despite a relatively low scoring output. They have known 3-point shooters that typically light it up from deep, but that was hard to find Friday night.

When Oklahoma City performs like this, it's hard to expect it from grabbing a win.

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