There were no words needed. Today, words can be misconstrued and spun to fit narratives, but actions are not mistaken. The Oklahoma City Thunder delivered quite the statement with their actions on opening night, proving that this team is extremely motivated entering the season.
One event that elevated their play on the court was when De’Aaron Fox threw Chet Holmgren to the floor. This sparked a necessary reaction where Jaylin Williams, Jalen Williams, and Kenrich Williams all stepped in and swarmed Fox, igniting a skirmish and showing the elements of clear disdain for the budding rivals.
OKC used that emotion to fuel a 116-104 road win over the San Antonio Spurs, which would have fanned the flames of what the narratives would have been if the results were the other way around, and, most importantly, proved themselves right on a competitive level.
Here are three takeaways from the Thunder-Spurs opening night showdown.
Three Opening Night Takeaways for the OKC Thunder
Chet Holmgren Showed ZERO Fear Against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs
The beauty and the curse of basketball are the lessons learned from it. For Holmgren, it was an offseason of humiliation and reflection. He had to face the narrative that he was scared of Victor Wembanyama. This stemmed from his play against San Antonio last year, especially in their Game 7 loss, where he scored just four points and took only two shots in 33 minutes.
During warm-ups, he had that look in his eyes from the jump. When the ball went up, Holmgren went into attack mode and didn’t back down from anyone, including Wembanyama, whom many claim has psychologically broken him. The main storyline was how he’d hold up, competing for a full 48 minutes against his kryptonite.
Holmgren continued to play fearlessly throughout the night. He punished the Spurs for placing small defenders on him. He insisted on taking on the challenge of primarily defending the superstar, rejected switches, and showed no signs of running from the matchup. Yes, he did get his shot blocked by Wembanyama, which is inevitable, but the difference was that he was unfazed when it happened.
Holmgren finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks on 3-for-8 shooting from the floor (0-for-1 from deep). The offensive numbers aren’t gaudy, but it was an impressive two-way performance by the All-NBA and runner-up DPOY big, who’s a game changer on both ends when he plays like himself.
OKC Neutralized Victor Wembanyama
Wembanyama is used to shutting down the paint and erasing opposing players at the rim. But on opening night, he was the one getting a taste of his own medicine.
As the clock kept ticking, Wembanyama was unable to make his imprint anywhere on the court offensively.
It wasn’t until the final seconds of the third quarter that Wembanyama finally made a shot. It was an alley-oop dunk off a lob assist from Fox.
But here’s the context: Wembanyama started the game 0-for-12 from the floor. Making this the most misses by him to start a game in his career.
Some of those shots were ones he usually makes, but others came down to the scheme and tone OKC set defensively. It’s a testament to the interior defense of its bigs, from Holmgren to Isaiah Hartenstein to Williams (Jaylin), and even rookie Aday Mara, who made his debut after an impressive preseason. It’s a testament to their attention to detail in playing boxes to elbow collectively.
Wembanyama ended the night with 12 points, 13 rebounds, and six blocks. However, he went 1-for-13 from the floor (0-for-4 from deep) in 34 minutes, the least efficient game of his career.
MVP Statement
The NBA made a point of emphasis on four main areas: off-arm push-offs, flopping enforcement, illegal screens and contact, and freedom of off-ball movement.
Many immediately directed two of these enforcements at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the discourse and narratives were laughable, to say the least.
The emotion and swagger from Gilgeous-Alexander showed what tonight meant for the Thunder.
Gilgeous-Alexander played all night with clear intentions. Focused. Demanding. Smooth but Calming.
Putting on the full SGA experience, getting to his spots, slithering into the toughest areas of the court, being super efficient while putting on a masterclass of difficult shot-making on all three levels.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 32 points, five rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and three steals on 13-for-27 shooting from the floor (3-for-7 from deep).
That unfazed demeanor and mentality, plus SGA’s ability to keep adding new layers to his game, are a superpower. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault says he clearly admires it.
“It’s his poise and his ability to answer the call – that allows you to come on the road and perform like that,” Daigneault said. “He sets a great tone for us as he always has… we got him in a lot of different spots tonight, which we’ve been emphasizing.”
With the final bounces of the night, the clock reached zero. Both teams walked off the court. One message was sent on Tuesday night: SGA was the best player on the court — and it wasn’t close.
Main Image: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
