The NBA season is finally here.
In its season opener, the Oklahoma City Thunder picked up a commanding win over the Chicago Bulls in a 124-104 offensive masterclass.
MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander picked up right where he left off last season, producing 31 points, five rebounds, 10 assists, a steal and two blocks on an efficient 12-of-18 shooting night. The superstar guard looked brilliant, showing off his smooth offensive game from all areas of the court and making some incredible plays to his teammates.
Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey gave equally great performances, scoring 16 points each. Both showed clear signs of improvement from last season, shooting the ball efficiently and getting to their spots.
Rookies Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace started off their careers with strong performances, already looking comfortable in the Thunder rotation. Holmgren scored 11 points with two 3-pointers, while Wallace scored 13 on a perfect 5-5 from the field.
The first quarter started with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams asserting themselves offensively, combing for 20 of the Thunder’s 33 first quarter points. This included a step-back 3-pointer at the top of the key and a smooth finish over Torrey Craig from Gilgeous-Alexander.
Holmgren scored his first of many career points with a turnaround jumper from the corner over Nikola Vucevic. The rookie also scored an and-one over Vucevic, but was unable to convert the free throw.
Even with a sloppy 2nd quarter of play filled with turnovers, Oklahoma City gained a 61-55 lead heading into halftime. Chicago had plenty of looks on the 3-point line, but failed to capitalize, shooting just 6-of-23 in the first half.
The third quarter stayed back and forth until the last few minutes, where the Thunder offense sparked by jumping to a 91-80 lead. Rookie Cason Wallace scored his first five NBA points, knocking down an open mid-range jumper and hitting a 3-pointer.
Oklahoma City didn’t look back for the rest of the game, continuing to dominate on the offensive side of the ball and not letting up its aggressiveness. It resulted in a blowout that kicked off the NBA season with a statement win.
The Thunder completely outshot the Bulls, shooting 54% from the field and a stunning 47% from 3-point range, compared to the Bulls’ 42% and 26% shooting splits.
A few key bench pieces didn’t see rotational minutes tonight, including Davis Bertans, Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic and Aleksej Pokusevski. Going forward these players should receive some playing time, but Wallace, Isaiah Joe and Ousmane Dieng were the big bench contributors tonight.
Oklahoma City will finish off its Eastern Conference tour against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m. CST, before making its home debut against the reigning-champion Denver Nuggets on Oct. 29 at 2:30 p.m. CST.