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The Oklahoma City Thunder Open Their 2022-23 Campaign With a Win

The Oklahoma City Thunder kick off preseason with a 112-101 win.
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In their first outing since April of 2022, the Oklahoma City Thunder are back. They took on the Denver Nuggets in their first preseason game, winning 112-101.

The win gives the Thunder a nice start to the new season, and some hope to look forward to the season. Coming off two losing seasons – and another potential losing season ahead of them – a win to start the new era should feel refreshing.

The Thunder started the game off going back-and-forth with the Nuggets’ starters, and then stormed for a double-digit lead early in the second quarter. They lost their lead late in the half and early in the third quarter, but they re-gained their lead late in the third quarter and never looked back.

The win happened without the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (MCL Sprain) and Lu Dort (Concussion Protocol), which left Josh Giddey as the biggest impact player on the team. He finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in 25 minutes as he nearly picked up a triple-double in his first outing of the season. 

One important note about Giddey’s game was his two three-pointers made. His first made three-pointer was a pull up off the dribble, while the next was a transition three. Of course his jump shot has more work to be done, and only minor tweaks have been made but it seems to have been a good start for the Chip Engelland era.

One player who stood out in particular for the Thunder coming into training camp was Tre Mann. There was buzz around him taking a step forward and building muscle, and he showed that as he led the Thunder in scoring with 17 points on 6-for-11 scoring. Thunder fans can sigh a sigh of relief after Mann struggled once again in the Summer League.

Speaking of shooting, Aaron Wiggins, former second round pick, shot 4-for-4 on three-pointers. Wiggins showed a hint of efficiency during the Las Vegas portion of Summer League, so him shooting well now is less surprising.

Darius Bazley is a name mentioned often when talking about players that need to have a good season, as it’s almost time for Bazley to ink a potential contract extension. Bazley came off the bench primarily as the backup center behind Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. This arrangement seems to be temporary, as Chet Holmgren will be the consensus starter when he comes back.

Aleksej Pokusevski, who brought in hype after gaining 20 pounds in the offseason, seemed to be a non-factor with only five points and six rebounds.

Jalen Williams and Ousmane Dieng both looked better than they did in the Summer League, which is a good sign ahead of the season. Jaylin Williams also set some solid screens and played big for the Thunder, which could help fill the void of Holmgren.

Mike Muscala did not travel with the team due to a sprained ankle.

The rest of the second unit played relatively solid, as they held onto the lead late in the game. As a squad, the Thunder shot just under 50% from the field and around 37% from the three-point line.


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