Player grades: Strong second half helps Thunder beat Bulls in season opener, 124-104
Driving to the basket, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drew the interest of several defenders before a last-second pass out to Cason Wallace resulted in a swished corner 3.
If OKC is going to generate open looks at the rate they did at Chicago, expect several more nights similar to their season-opener.
After a competitive first half, the Oklahoma City Thunder blew the game open with an offensive outburst in their 124-104 win over the Chicago Bulls.
“Tonight, I thought the shot-making was a result of generating really really clean (shots),” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said about their offensive performance. “All five guys (played) with an intention of trying to find the best shot on most possessions.”
Carrying over their preseason production, the Thunder opened their 2023-24 season scoring points at a high clip. A 61-point first half only resulted in a six-point halftime lead as the Bulls went round-for-round against OKC in the scoring department.
The defense continued to be an issue in the opening minute of the second half, as the Bulls went on a quick 7-0 run to retake the lead. The mini-run was enough for the Thunder to call a timeout, which flipped the game as OKC outscored Chicago, 63-42, in the remainder of the contest.
“Bad start to start the third,” Daigneault said. “Came right out of that timeout and got that under control. And that’s a skill that scales — when you can recognize that stuff in the game. The team can pull together and get the car back on the road.”
The 3-point ball can be accredited for the Thunder’s explosive offense outing. OKC shot an impressive 19-of-39 (48.7%) from outside. The ball movement was crisp for the Thunder as 30 of OKC’s 45 made baskets were assisted on. Overall, OKC shot an absurd 54.9% from the field.
“We shot it well tonight and some nights you do, some nights you don’t,” Daigneault said. “We don’t have control over that. But the rhythm we generated on offense is what’s sustainable… We want to be a rhythmic team.”
Following a career season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to play like one of the best players in the league. He finished with 31 points and 10 assists. The Thunder had five additional double-digit scorers in their win.
“I think guys are just playing unselfish,” Jalen Williams said. “Everybody is kinda buying in on how we like to play. I don’t think anybody really cares who’s getting the shots.”
Meanwhile, the Bulls struggled on offense. After a 35-point first quarter, the Bulls finished with just 104 points and shot 41.5% from the field. The outside shot didn’t fall for Chicago as it went 12-of-42 (28.6%) from deep.
The scoring duo of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan struggled against OKC. LaVine had 16 points on 4-of-16 shooting and DeRozan had 20 points on 9-of-20 shooting.
“It takes a team defense to be good against players of that caliber,” Daigneault said. “To zoom out on that one, we want to be a team that improves with our experiences. We did not defend in the preseason, in camp or in the games the way that we’re capable of. I thought we got great work in our practice over the weekend and obviously that carried over into tonight.”
It’s just the first of 82-plus games, but this was about as impressive of a performance as the Thunder could’ve turned in for their season-opener. It’s evident that OKC is building something special with its young core blended with innovative coaching.
Let’s assign Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A+
Gilgeous-Alexander picked up right where he left off over the summer.
If there were any concerns of a potential slump from last season, Gilgeous-Alexander shunned those away pretty quickly. He finished with 31 points on efficient 12-of-18 shooting, 10 assists and five rebounds in 36 minutes.
After averaging just 2.5 3-point attempts last season, Gilgeous-Alexander increased that number in the first game of this season with a 2-of-5 performance from deep.
The volume of 3-pointers from Gilgeous-Alexander will be an interesting stat to follow along this season. If he decides to bring that shot back on a regular basis, that could add a new dimension to his new scoring game.
The third quarter continues to be Gilgeous-Alexander’s strength as he had 10 of OKC’s 30 points during those 12 minutes. He led the charge and turned this game from a single-digit difference to helping set OKC up to put this game to bed in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.
Chet Holmgren: B-
All eyes were on Holmgren in Chicago. After over a year of anticipation, the 2022 No. 2 pick finally made his official NBA debut tonight.
One game in and Holmgren did a nice job of playing within the flow of the offense. In 25 minutes, he had 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, four rebounds and three assists. He also went 2-of-3 from 3.
The lowlights will definitely be there — as an Andre Drummond ankle-breaker made the rounds on social media — but isolated possessions like that shouldn’t take away from the fact Holmgren is a majorly positive addition to OKC.
“I don’t know on that one,” Holmgren said with a grin when asked if he’ll remember Drummond’s ankle-breaker as his ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment. “I’ll just leave it at that.”
Cason Wallace: B+
Entering the night, Holmgren had the spotlight while Wallace was in the background when it came to anticipated Thunder rookie debuts.
By the end of the game, their positions have flipped.
In 19 minutes off the bench, Wallace scored 13 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting that included a 3-of-3 night from 3, reminiscent of his summer league debut.
All 13 points were scored in the second half for Wallace, as he hit a pair of jumpers late in the third quarter to push OKC’s lead to 11 points.
The 19-year-old rookie played a huge role in the Thunder’s surging second half and flexed OKC’s depth as the No. 10 pick is another bench option.
“Went in there like he belonged — he does belong,” Daigneault said about Wallace’s debut. “Played his role really well. Played hard defensively. He’s improved in camp over a short period of time.”
Jalen Williams: B
Williams had a solid start to his sophomore campaign as he finished tied for second for OKC’s leading scorers.
In 32 minutes, he had 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting, five assists and three rebounds. He shot 2-of-6 from 3 and went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
The 22-year-old had a strong first half as he scored 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting but had a much quieter second half with just two points on 1-fo-2 shooting.
“After that (early third-quarter timeout), I think our defense was really good,” Williams said on their second-half turnaround. “We started rotating really good.”
Josh Giddey: B
Seldom are their five player grades for the average Thunder game, but it would’ve been malpractice not to mention Giddey’s night.
In 32 minutes, Giddey had 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting, six assists and six rebounds. He also shot 2-of-3 from 3.
To his credit, Giddey kept true to his word and attacked the paint all night long. But alas, the results just weren’t there for the 21-year-old as he went just 3-of-8 inside of the paint.
Despite most of his shots coming in traffic, Giddey couldn’t buy a whistle and finished his season debut without a single trip to the free-throw line. This is something he hopes to change in the long run this year.
