Thunder vs. Bulls takeaways: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads OKC rout over Chicago in opener

CHICAGO — The Thunder’s idyllic style of offense, putting five guys on the floor that can dribble, drive and pass in an up-tempo, unselfish, pinging attack, has been brewing for the last few seasons.

Wednesday night in Chicago offered a taste of how shotmaking is the ingredient that will make this thing sing.

The Thunder thumped the Bulls 124-104 in the season opener. A game in which eight Thunder players made multiple 3-pointers — including all five starters, with each making two 3-pointers.

OKC shot 19-of-39 (49%) from behind the arc. The Thunder shot 6-of-8 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter, sending sections of Bulls fans to the United Center exits with each make.

OKC opened the fourth quarter on a back-breaking 9-2 run, with two 3-pointers by way of Isaiah Joe and one from Cason Wallace, who was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and 3-of-3 from deep in his NBA debut.

If 19 Thunder 3-pointers sounds like a lot, it is. In only three games last season did the Thunder make 19 or more 3-pointers.

Isaiah Joe and Ousmane Dieng joined Wallace with each making three 3-pointers off the bench.

“We shot it well tonight,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “Some nights you do, some nights you don’t. We don’t have control over that. But the rhythm we were able to generate on offense is what’s sustainable.”

OKC’s 45 made baskets were generated by 30 assists.

“That’s a lot of assists,” Jalen Williams said.

The Thunder averaged 24 assists per game a season ago, which ranked 21st in the league.

“I don’t know what the normal is for that,” Williams said, “but guys are playing unselfish, everybody’s kind of buying into how we like to play and I don’t think anybody really cares who’s getting the shots and how they come.”

Music to Daigneault’s ears.

“We wanna be a team that the whole is better than the sum of the parts, and I thought we played with that intent tonight,” Daigneault said.

More: Mussatto: Ease up on OKC Thunder expectations for this season. The good times are now.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Still pretty good

After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander slipped to the rim for another how-did-he-do-that layup, a Bulls fan behind me made an astute observation.

“Dude, he’s really good.”

Indeed. Gilgeous-Alexander is really good.

The Thunder superstar scored a team-high 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting. He had a team high 10 assists (with just one turnover) and five rebounds. The Thunder outscored the Bulls by 19 points with SGA on the floor.

Gilgeous-Alexander shot 5-of-5 from the free throw line and 2-of-5 from 3-point range. Only seven times last season did SGA attempt five or more 3-pointers. There were a lot of numbers like that. Jalen Williams tied his career-high with six 3-point attempts.

“The (front office) does a good job of adding shooters to the group,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “And the guys that were here before, like Josh (Giddey), Lu (Dort), (Jalen Williams), a lot of those guys aren’t labeled shooters, but they work hard and they work on those little things to be a better basketball player, and it ultimately helps me out there.”

SGA is the league’s most frequent attacker of the rim. Surrounding him with capable shooters creates quite a conundrum for defenses.

More: Here is the OKC Thunder's roster, player contracts entering 2023-24 NBA regular season

Chet Holmgren's debut

Good news for Chet Holmgren: His welcome to the NBA moment is already in the rearview mirror. Andre Drummond, of all people, got him good.

And while Holmgren was not the Thunder’s best rookie Wednesday night — take a bow, Mr. Wallace — Holmgren still finished with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, one turnover and a steal. He was a plus-14.

Forget the numbers, Holmgren playing 25 minutes in his NBA debut is cause for celebration. There are going to be warts, but good times are ahead.

“A lot of good and a lot he can improve on,” Daigneault said. “He’s a competitor, he’s also a learner. He’s a junkie. I have no doubt he’s going to dive into every single game afterwards and learn from it. We just have to start that process with him. We’re in the infant stages of his career.”

Holmgren said he didn’t have jitters.

“More excitement, and I guess a little bit of (anxiety),” he said. “Just the waiting part, knowing that eventually the ball’s gonna tip up. All day you’re just waiting for that moment.”

More: Who makes the OKC Thunder list for 15 best players in team history?

Thunder tip-ins

● As expected, Jaylin Williams (right hamstring strain) and Kenrich Williams (lower back spasms) were out for the Thunder.

● Two-way rookie Keyontae Johnson was inactive.

● On Sept. 20, the Thunder announced that Aleksej Pokusevski would be reevaluated in six weeks after suffering a right ankle sprain. Poku beat that timeline by at least a week. He played two minutes of mop-up time.

● There was a red-out at United Center, with “see red” T-shirts on every seat.

● The Thunder starting lineup was as expected: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren

● The Bulls started Coby White, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic. The Bulls backcourt of White and LaVine shot 8-of-30.

● There was a smattering of boos from the home crowd when Billy Donovan was introduced pregame. Donovan’s job in Chicago is less than secure.

● Holmgren is 1-of-1 on winning tips.

● Jalen Williams splashed a 3-pointer for the first points of the Thunder’s season. Williams scored the Thunder’s first seven points.

● Holmgren’s first basket was an 18-foot, turnaround jumper over Vucevic. Holmgren’s second bucket was a driving layup through a foul. He missed the free throw.

● Aaron Wiggins and Ousmane Dieng were the first two players off the Thunder’s bench. They checked in at power forward and center for Jalen Williams and Holmgren. “We went really small really early there, and (Dieng) gave us a nice lift, not only with the shot-making, but his physicality with Vucevic.”

● Olivier Sarr and Isaiah Joe were the next two off the bench. Sarr, on a two-way contract, should see steady minutes along with Dieng at backup center for as long as Jaylin Williams is out.

● The Thunder played 11 guys in the first quarter, all but Davis Bertans, Vasilije Micic, Tre Mann and Aleksej Pokusevski. Micic and Bertans were DNPs (coach’s decision).

● SGA checked out with 1:23 left in the first quarter. He typically plays the entire first quarter. “He told me it was a good night to get him,” Daigneault said. “We talk about not burning the 12 minutes every single first quarter for 82 games. He’s always a great communicator and collaborator in those situations and I think he was a little gassed just with the start.”

● Dort was assessed a technical in the first quarter for flopping.

● Daigneault used his challenge with 11:47 left in the second quarter. Thunder basketball is back!

● The challenge was successful, by the way.

● The Bulls went on a 7-0 run to open the second half, quickly erasing their six-point halftime deficit.

● Dieng checked in for Holmgren two minutes into the second half. Dieng promptly hit a 3-pointer. He tied his career high with three 3-pointers (3-of-5).

More: 'Almost shed a tear': Inside OKC Thunder guard Lu Dort's emotional return to Montreal

Thunder vs. Cavaliers

TIPOFF: 6:30 p.m. Friday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland (Bally Sports Oklahoma)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder rolls past Chicago Bulls in NBA regular-season opener