Hayward Shines, Giddey Rolls & OKC Dismantles San Antonio: 3 Takeaways From Thunder's Blowout Victory

A depleted Spurs roster couldn't hang with a full-strength Thunder roster, resulting in a simple win for Oklahoma City.

A win is a win, no matter the circumstances.

With a depleted San Antonio Spurs roster last night — including the absence of their franchsie cornerstone Victor Wembanyama — it was easy for the Oklahoma City Thunder to take advantage and get a quallity home win, 127-89.

The Thunder roster is fully healthy once again, just in time before the playoffs begin in the coming weeks. The win put it in the same positioning as the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference standings, with only two more games to secure the No. 2 seed.

There isn't a ton to celebrate when beating one of the teams at the bottom of the NBA, but capitalizing off that is exactly what Oklahoma City needed to accomplish. It was able to coast to an easy victory, something that can't be taken for granted so close to the playoffs.

Here are three takeaways from the 38-point win:

Apr 10, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2)

Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

1. Gordon Gets Buckets

The addition of Gordon Hayward at the trade deadline was initially met with strong feelings, but his tenure with the Thunder thus far hasn't been as fruitful as expected.

It's taken a while for the 34-year-old to get comfortable within Oklahoma City's system, but right before the playoffs, it seems that he might've figured it out.

Hayward scored 18 points off the bench against the Spurs on 6-of-8 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers. He led the bench in an impactful way during the game, serving as a bucket-getter and floor-spacer. It was easily one of his best games with the franchise, which is very promising.

Having Hayward's veteran presence in the playoffs for a team so young and inexperienced could be vitally important, so his role should only go up once the first round series begins. He knows what it's like to be on a team seeking the Larry O'Brien trophy, and can even help guide Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the focal point of team.

2. Giddey Greatness

The recent stretch of quality play that Josh Giddey has embarked on doesn't seem like it's going away any time soon.

Last night the 21-year-old had another near triple-double of 20 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists on 7-of-12 shooting, the second highest point total on the team. With the return of Gilgeous-Alexander it was expected that Giddey's role would come down a little, but that hasn't been the case in the slightest.

His four-point outing against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night certainly was concerning, easily being his least impactful performance of the last few weeks, and even the entire season. He rebounded well against San Antonio though, and has set himself up for a big role in the playoffs.

After a season of turmoil it wasn't expected that Giddey would actually be in this position by the end of the year, but he has completely turned around a disappointing campaign into some of his best play in his entire career. He looks more confident than ever, which is exactly what the Thunder needs at this stage.

3. A Simple Win

In such a competitive league like the current NBA, teams will absolutely take any win they can get, especially those seeking a playoff run.

On the calendar last night was a Spurs team without Wembanyama, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell and Tre Jones, arguably the best four players on their entire roster. if Oklahoma City lost at full-strength it would've been an absolute embarrassment, but it rightfully had no issues getting a win at home.

While the box score and 38-point disparity are impressive, there's ultimately little to look to deeply into. San Antonio's lineup looked hardly NBA caliber without so many of its top players, having little chance of defeating any team in the league, much less a No. 3 seed in the West. The likes of Hayward and Giddey did have great games, but on the other hand, they probably should've against such a weak roster.

Getting the victory still helps with playoff seeding, however, and the Thunder is only left with two games to secure the No. 2 seed over the Timberwolves. It will face two tough contenders in the Milwuakee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks, while Minnesota gets the Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns. At least one of those games needs to be a win for Oklahoma City, but preferably both if it wants that coveted spot.

There really isn't much to takeaway from the win over the Spurs, but the Thunder will still enjoy a coasting win.

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