Thunder 124, Heat 112: The Day After report

Final: Thunder (33-7) def. Heat (20-19), 124-112

• The Thunder were as healthy as they’ve been in a minute, playing their full rotation outside of Isaiah Hartenstein (out for his eighth straight game with a soleus strain).
• Even though Jaylin Williams returned to the Oklahoma City front, both teams were hungry for the paint, cutting and driving with the kind of energy you’d expect from two of the modern NBA’s best team-building franchises.
• In the end, OKC weathered a sweltering heat shooting night and turned the game from a back-and-forth affair into a comfortable victory.
• Chet Holmgren helped keep Miami in check in the first half, collecting three blocks and influencing the Heat’s internal decision-making when they weren’t draining threes.
• Holmgren (16 pts, 10 rebs, 3 blks) and Jalen Williams (18 pts, 4 ast, 2 stl) were excellent throughout. Together they came to 9-14 in the first half and 7-12 in the second.
• So how did the Thunder finish 59-54 at halftime? The Heat kept the ball and made more threes. Miami had just one more turnover and made six more three-pointers than OKC in two quarters. I know, shocking.
• And how did OKC take the lead for good in the third, turning a back-and-forth match into a patented Thunder blowout?
• First, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander exploded for 16 points and three assists on 5-8 shooting in the third. For the game, the MVP finished with 29 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds and two shares.
• The rest of the team put this in the pocket by hitting their own threes (8-19 in the second half) and keeping up the pressure. OKC outscored Miami by 16 points off turnovers in the third and fourth frames.
• It’s pretty bad when 10-39 feels like a good shooting night. OKC has made 33% or more on their threes just once in the last seven games.
• While there isn’t much playing time for either, the shooting ability of Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe keeps the offense from looking starved.
• Ajay Mitchell has looked good all season, but I still notice every game that these are real moments. Tonight they came when Mitchell blew past Bam Adebayo for a layup and when he executed a set-down isolation with the game in reach and Shai on the wing.

One key takeaway: JDub’s wrist

Jalen Williams has been open about the adjustment to his surgically repaired wrist. He’s been making it even clearer lately, acknowledging that his new limited, unknown range of motion is more of a problem than wrist pain. He has adapted by turning down the volume three and instead looking for downhill looks and midrange shots. He put on a new heated glove during the Heat game and spoke more about the injury afterward.

He still describes the process as one that he must overcome and not live with forever. And he insists he’ll need to rack up more in-game shooting reps to eventually fully adapt. Wide-open reps are rare, but he also rejects the threes he would have taken without hesitation last season, opting instead for more drives and midrange looks. The result: He’s scoring career lows in both percentage (28.1%) and attempts (2.7 per game) from distance.

The sky is not falling. Concerns about his handle are overblown. His defense, transition impact and playmaking remain. With Mitchell taking on much of OKC’s baggage, Williams can continue to adjust to a new shooting normal (hopefully without settling for so many mid-range shots). Will he recalibrate to become the same luminary he was recently? That remains to be seen. But my money, like the franchise’s, is on JDub for the long term.