After taking care of business at home, the Oklahoma City Thunder are up 2-0. Putting themselves in a great position, as the series now heads to Phoenix.
Oklahoma City outscored Phoenix by 48 points in the first two games. The Thunder will look to continue its dominance over the Suns as the series shifts, hoping the trend from the first two games continues.
Here are three takeaways from games one and two.
OKC Thunder Notes After Games 1 and 2
1) Oklahoma City awaits the health of Jalen Williams
This section was meant to be about how Jalen Williams was looking back to form, if there was any doubt about that. After putting up 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the floor, 2-of-5 from deep, seven rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block in 29 minutes in Game 1 against the Suns.
At the beginning of Game 2, Williams was even better and was in attack mode from the jump. Scoring 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor in the first half. Unfortunately, in the third quarter, he was seen grabbing his left hamstring, an issue he has dealt with twice before, which caused him to miss significant time this season. And once again, if that is the case, it is not good news for Oklahoma City.
The Thunder are hoping Williams’ hamstring is not severe, as he has clearly proven that he makes Oklahoma City better.
2) Good Matchup for the Thunder’s Front Court
Mark Williams has missed the first two games of the series, and his status moving forward is questionable. Even if he does play, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein present a matchup problem for the Suns.
Holmgren has taken full advantage of the undersized Suns in the first two games, averaging 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3 blocks, shooting 54% from the floor and 41% from deep. He’s been able to bring Ighodaro out on an island and make him from the perimeter and has made Phoenix’s guards/wings pay on switches in the paint.
Even more, Holmgren has been dominant defensively in the paint and on the perimeter, a key factor in limiting the Suns’ scoring, holding them to low percentages on shots contested by him in the first two games.
Isaiah Hartenstein has made his presence felt down low. Averaging 8.5 points, 9 rebounds (10 total offensive rebounds in 41 minutes), and 1.5 blocks in the first two games of the series.
Oklahoma City has taken advantage of Phoenix’s lack of front-court depth.
3) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Dillon Brooks
One of the headliners of the series was Dillon Brooks’ antics vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s calmness. The two have a history together, having played for Team Canada at FIBA and the Olympics. Before the series even began, Brooks took a shot at SGA
Shai struggled with his shooting (25 points on 5-of-18 from the floor and 0-of-4 from deep) in Game 1, but his processing (7 assists to zero turnovers) and defensive playmaking (2 blocks) were elite.
Game 2 would be a different story, as SGA got going, putting up 37 points on 13-of-25 shooting, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds, frustrating and ultimately fouling Brooks out.
After also struggling in Game 1, Brooks scored 18 points on 6-of-22 shooting from the floor. Brooks would go on and have quite the night in Game 2, scoring 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting from the floor and 5-of-9 from deep.
Brooks once again singled out SGA after Games 1 & 2. How he holds up emotionally, and whether he stays intact throughout the series, are worth monitoring. Being a very emotional player can lead to poor decisions or charge up his peers, making Brooks a double-edged sword for his team.
Main Image: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Image
