Three Takeaways From OKC Thunder's Bounce Back Win Past Brooklyn Nets

With a 22-point lead blown against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, the Oklahoma City Thunder was seeking a rebound game — and it got it.

Though it came in a relatively close 129-121 win Wednesday night, the Thunder improved its record to 47-11 after a strong second half of action. A total of four of its players finished with 20+ points, making for quite the dominant offensive game.

Oklahoma City only shot a 9-of-30 clip from behind the arc, but that didn't truly matter. With 68 points in the paint and 19 points off turnovers, it found other ways to run up the score. Plus, its defense held Brooklyn to near 41% shooting from the field.

Here are three takeaways from the eight-point win:

Double-Big Lineup Stays

Although the time spent together between Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein has endured varying amounts of success, it's clear that coach Mark Daigneault will be experimenting with it for the foreseeable future.

Individually, both centers had great nights. Holmgren continues to get closer to his old self by the game, dropping 22 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks on 7-of-12 shooting. While not quite those heights, Hartenstein recorded a respectable 13 points, two rebounds and three assists.

Regardless of if the double-big lineup has been largely effective or not, it's going to be important to have experience with it during the playoffs. Depending on the matchup, the Thunder could be in need of it, especially if rebounding becomes an apparent issue again.

Above anything, Holmgren getting comfortable again will be one of Oklahoma City's biggest goals until April. After last night, it seems to be heading that way.

The Impact of Wiggins

Aaron Wiggins has garnered plenty of impactful performances this season, and this win was simply just one of them.

The forward finished with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists and 11-of-19 shooting from the field in 29 minutes of action. In the five games that he's scored 20 points or more, the Thunder has won all of them.

Wiggins is one of the most important players on the Oklahoma City roster, even if he doesn't frequently start games. He continuously brings shot making as well as strong perimeter defense, which adds to an already elite Thunder team in both areas.

At one time, Wiggins was brought in trade rumors for Cameron Johnson. Now that seems impossible, as he's been on a strong stretch of play for the last month. With the way he's playing, it seems he'll be with franchise for a long time and a pivotal part of its approaching playoff run.

Dort's 3-Point Trend

Typically the All-Star break serves as a boost of energy for players after the first half of the season, but for Luguentz Dort, it hasn't seemed to given him the same effect.

In the four games since play has resumed, Dort is shooting a dsymal 2-of-16 from behind the arc. That included a 1-of-5 performance against the Nets, keeping him at a total of just three points. His 4.5 points per game average hasn't been encouraging, either.

This drastic of an offensive slump isn't ideal coming off the break, especially with only a little over a month left of the regular season. It's diminished the 3-point shooting capabilities of the Oklahoma City offense, especially as one of its more consistent scorers in that area.

With a decent enough sample of this issue, it could be one to keep an eye on Dort from here on out. His elite perimeter defense may never go away, but without an effective 3-point shot, it severly limits his ability to be impactful for the Thunder on both ends.

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.