Three Takeaways From OKC Thunder's Blowout Victory Over Pelicans

Despite losing the rebounding battle by a wide margin, the Oklahoma City Thunder still managed to put together a big win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Nov 13, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) is fouled by New Orleans Pelicans forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (50) on a drive to the basket during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The small ball Oklahoma City Thunder continue to find success.

The Thunder blew out the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night, 106-88. Despite being out rebounded by over 20, it held the Pelicans to sub-40% shooting as a collective and forced 24 turnovers, while it only committed seven.

Jalen Williams has stepped into the starting center role since Chet Holmgren went down to injury, and it's been working so far. He's hit his stride offensively, and on the defensive end, he hasn't backed down from bigger centers in the slightest.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 29 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks on 12-of-25 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 from behind the arc. He only shot from the free-throw line a total of three times, displaying his offensive dominance outside of the charity stripe.

Here are three takeaways from the 18-point win:

Williams Has Embraced the Center Position

Just two games into his stint as Oklahoma City's starting center, Williams has already started to excel.

The 23-year-old recorded a season-high of 31 points, along with six rebounds, seven assists, four steals and two blocks on 10-of-18 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from 3-point range. The new position has already seemed to be a huge adjustment for him, and in fact, he seems to be performing even better.

A height of 6-foot-6 doesn't give Williams much help in matching up against teams inside the paint, but he gets by with his defense versatility and athleticism. With more of an ask to be a rim protector, he lived up to it with back-to-back blocks on Javonte Green amongst other strong defensive plays.

Williams being able to defend and score from anywhere is part of what has made the small ball lineup so lethal in its first two outings. If he continues to hold his own at the center position, the next few weeks without their big man rotation won't look near as dire.

Losing Rebounding Battle, Yet Still Winning

As impressive as Williams has been since taking the starting center spot, even he can't help the Thunder win the rebounding battle against its opponents.

New Orleans outrebounded Oklahoma City 58 to 31, a staggering differential. The Pelicans were able to grab 21 offensive rebounds, compared to the Thunder's measly five.

On any given night without Holmgren or Isaiah Hartenstein, it might be impossible for the Thunder to have the higher mark the rebounding category. The tallest player in the starting lineup only being 6-foot-6 puts it at an immediate disadvantage, especially against dominant big men such as Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic.

Through two games, it hasn't caused a loss, however. Oklahoma City is able to find other ways to win games behind its floor spacing, defensive versatility and ability to limit turnovers, which sometimes are hurt by having a traditional center on the court. Running this level of small ball all year isn't sustainable, but for the short stretch it'll be forced to run it, there shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Forcing Turnovers and Not Committing Them

Where the Thunder lacked in rebounding, it more than made up for by winning the turnover battle.

Oklahoma City forced 24 turnovers from New Orleans, scoring a total of 29 points off them. On the flipside, the Thunder turned the ball over just seven times, and the Pelicans could only muster up four points off them.

With five players in its starting lineup who have the ability to bring the ball up the court, lead offensive possessions and make plays, Oklahoma City can have highly efficient offensive possessions. It doesn't have to worry about turning the ball over when it has capable ball handlers at every position.

Defensively, it also has strong perimeter defenders that can get inside passing lanes and put pressure on opposing ball handlers, making it easy to get away with turnovers. Although it sacrifices interior defense, that skill set has also proven to work on big men.

This is a battle the Thunder can win night in and night out against any team.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.