Three Takeaways from the OKC Thunder's Season-Opening Win Over the Denver Nuggets

Overcoming a sluggish start, Holmgren flashing heightened ferocity and Wiggins holding down the fort saw Oklahoma City come in to Denver on opening night and claim a 102-87 victory.

Oct 24, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) shoots the ball in the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Once the Thunder settled into the atmosphere on Thursday night, they appeared as if they were in mid-season form on the team's opening night of the season, dismantling the Denver Nuggets on the road, 102-87.

Through a raucous Denver crowd, Oklahoma City stayed the course and played their brand of basketball despite struggling from deep -- only making 22.2% of their outside shots. Overall, it wasn't the best shooting night, but the manner in which they neutralized a talented team to hold the Nuggets under 40% from the field and 20% from three, the Thunder's defense and ability to sink mid-range shots on the night was massive in their eventual win.

Here are three takeaways from Oklahoma City's victory in its season opener:

OKC Weathers the Storm

To begin the game, it was a turnover fest, primarily from the Thunder. Shrugging off some rust had to happen, as Oklahoma City went down by as much as nine in the first quarter as Christian Braun reaped many opportunities on the fast break due to poor management from the Thunder.

That quickly changed though. The Thunder found their rhythm and kept in stride after that, as a couple scores from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren got that back in range and reserves like Ousmane Dieng and Aaron Wiggins began to make their mark.

Oklahoma City never looked back past that nine-point deficit, and led for the rest of the three quarters.

Aaron Wiggins Comes Alive

Aaron Wiggins was downright impressive on Thursday night, and looks as if he could be given more than 20 minutes a night if he continues to play with this intentionality and attention to detail. He was handed 20 minutes in this one, and did as much offensively in that amount of time as nearly anyone could.

15 points on 7-for-9 from the field, meaningful fast break buckets, six boards and two blocks, he was a highlight in a game that had so many takeaways for the Thunder. WIthout him, this win would not have come nearly as smooth as it did.

SGA, Chet Dominate Second Half

Gilgeous-Alexander got his on opening night of course, dropping 28 points on a fairly inefficient night to his standards, 11-of-24 shooting, with 16 of his points coming in the second half. Eight assists, two steals, three blocks, seven rebounds and 2-for-6 from three, Gilgeous-Alexander remains in MVP-contending form as the season begins.

Holmgren was arguably the greatest highlight of the game for the Thunder however. Winning the matchup and rebounding battle against Nikola Jokic, having 14 rebounds and 25 points on 11-for-18 from the field to Jokic's 12 rebounds and 16 points. This was a point of emphasis for Oklahoma City in this game, especially down Isaiah Hartenstein as Holmgren was left to deal with Jokic on the boards, and he dealt with him well -- helping force three turnovers on the big man.

Overall, there were an abundance of takeaways from this Thunder team on Thursday night, and it'll be a season of excitement down the line as they continue to meld together.

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