Nuggets and notes
- The Thunder improved to 8-0, marking their best start to a season in franchise history.
- Oklahoma City already wears the crown of the best Thunder team ever to complement their title as the best team in the NBA, and they continue to rack up accolades and milestones befitting a king.
- Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was deadly on offense, scoring 30 points on 9-14 shooting and notching 12 assists.
- Isaiah Joe stayed white hot, going 6-10 from deep and scoring 22 points. Joe is averaging 18.3 points since returning to the lineup.
- It was a familiar arc in three acts: the Clippers feuded early, the Thunder tied things up and then OKC ran away with the game.
- James Harden led a barrage of three-pointers from LAC in the first quarter and maintained a lead of more than 10 points to open the game.
- While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rested, OKC bounced back in the second quarter. SGA came back from trailing by four points with five minutes left in the half, and the team remained steady as the game remained close for three quarters.
- Well, not quite three quarters yet. The score was 88-86 OKC with a minute left in the third, but Shai and Joe bombed two more threes to close the frame. Then the Thunder opened the fourth quarter by extending the run to 17-0, and never looked back.
- Apart from the typical scoring brilliance of Mr. Consistently, Shai has shown improvement in the game. His assist numbers aren’t much different from last season, but my eyes agree with some recent hype The Dunker Place podcast: SGA demonstrates increased awareness, throwing skip passes more aggressively, and breaking and reading double teams faster for passing corners and advantages elsewhere in the half court.
- We had three Chet/Hart large to large lobes. Reminder: Holmgren only played 32 games last season and is getting better.
- Although Kawhi Leonard rested for the second night of a back-to-back for the Clippers, we would be remiss not to mention the player who was most instrumental in using the Clippers to sell out their assets and (supposedly) competitive ethic to OKC’s benefit. The Thunder got the most important part of the rebuild – Shai – as soon as it started. Thanks, Kawi.
- And while most of the hypothetical assets have been cashed in for championship players, I kind of miss the graphics showing how many hundreds of additional first-round picks the Thunder once owed to the rebuild. But there are still a handful of juicy picks, and OKC’s rights to an outright Clippers trade in the first round (without protection) in 2027 could be monumental. LA has signed a deep, competitive roster of veterans for the 2026-27 season, but only Yanic Niederhauser and Cameron Christie will complete that season under the age of 30. If the league imposes penalties for cap avoidance, and/or the age of the roster catches up to them, the Clippers’ short-term prospects could quickly collapse.
One big takeaway: measurement
The consensus is that the West has improved this season. The Thunder’s early-season opponents didn’t improve, however, as Sunday’s hilarious outburst against the hapless Pelicans demonstrated. But the dominance is still remarkable. Jalen Williams has yet to play another minute (and won’t for a while, thanks to a setback to his recovering wrist). Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso and Isaiah Joe have all missed three or more games. And tonight there was no anomaly: the Thunder outscored their opponents even more so when Shai sits. They have a league-best net rating of +13.6 with Shai on the field, but are somehow +16.2 when he is free.
It’s not too early to say the Thunder have gotten even better. That’s the norm for young teams, but most young teams don’t defend the title. OKC now gets a chance to prove itself against tougher competition. The Clippers are no slouch and the West Coast road trip continues tonight with a back-to-back against Portland. After that, NBA Cup games and showdowns with the Warriors and Lakers at home are on the horizon.
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