Chet Holmgren Discusses Battle on the Glass And Matchup With Jonas Valanciunas

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost the battle on the boards as Jonas Valanciunas logged a double-double. Rookie big man Chet Holmgren spoke about the battle down low.

Most of the discussion around Game 1 has centered around the rebounding battle.

As fans and media flock to the Thunder's postseason return without studying the 82-game stint, the Pelicans' 52-44 rebounding edge and 24-11 second-chance advantage stuck out like a sore thumb.

Despite the Thunder's 94-92 victory on Sunday, Jonas Valanciunas' 13-point and 20-rebound effort stole the show leaving many puzzled about how the Thunder will handle the wide-loaded down low.

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren was quizzed about the Pelicans' brute center. The Gonzaga product was confident in saying the big matchup would take a team effort.

“It’s an all five mentality. Every single person looks at themselves first — including myself. I gotta be better on the glass. I gotta be better in the matchup with Valanciunas on the glass," Holmgren told reporters at shoot around on Wednesday ahead of Game 2.

Holmgren was not too shabby in his debut turning in 15 points, 11 boards, two assists and five steals including a game-saving swat on Larry Nance Jr.

Throughout the contest, the rookie man in the middle had great body positioning despite Valanciunas' stat line. In Game 2, the Thunder are hoping to make a slight adjustment.

However, the lack of rebounding has been a constant storyline with this team and at each turn they have flipped the disadvantage into a positive as the young squad gets out and runs better than almost anyone in the league.

That was the case in Game 1, as the Pelicans netted 13 second chance points the Thunder washed it away with a net of 13 fast break points to render the advantage useless despite it feeling backbreaking to the crowd in the emotion of the game.

Up next, the Oklahoma City Thunder will battle the New Orleans Pelicans in Game 2 on Wednesday at 8:30 PM CT on TNT. The Thunder will search for a 2-0 advantage in their first-round series.

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