Three Takeaways From the OKC Thunder's First Home Win of the Season

The Oklahoma City Thunder earned its first home win of the 2023-24 season against the Detroit Pistons in a 124-112 outing.

It was a nice rebound for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who recorded one of his weakest performances over the last couple seasons against the Denver Nuggets in Oklahoma City's home opener. The guard put up 32 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals on 11-of-23 shooting, leading the Thunder to a relatively simple victory.

From the second quarter to the fourth quarter both teams scored an equal amount of points, but a 33-21 advantage for Oklahoma City in the first quarter was too much for Detroit to overcome.

The Thunder defended the Pistons rather well, holding them to a 43% shooting performance. Oklahoma City recorded nine steals and 10 blocks on the night, with four of the blocks coming from rookie Chet Holmgren alone.

Let’s dive into three lessons that can be learned from yesterday’s game.

Are Giddey's Shooting Woes Over?

At the start of the Thunder season, Josh Giddey's performance had been the most worrisome.

In his first three games, the guard averaged just nine points per game on 34% shooting from the field. The elite playmaking viewers have been accustomed to from Giddey has continued, but his poor scoring output was slightly concerning.

It was a much better outing for Giddey against Detroit, putting up 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists on 9-of-18 shooting. There were still some easy looks that Giddey should have knocked down, but the guard looked much more comfortable.

Giddey was able to push the Pistons defense on the fastbreak and take advantage of smaller matchups, allowing for easy looks at the rim all night. It's something the 21-year-old should continue to try every game, as it opens up the floor for not only himself, but his teammates.

Jalen Williams is Everywhere

Jalen Williams has already proven to be one of the league's best players entering the NBA last season, but is now showing how important he is to Oklahoma City in its first four games to an even higher degree.

The forward scored 19 points, seven rebounds, 6 assists, a steal and a block on 8-for-14 shooting on Monday night. Williams did everything right against the Pistons, making an impact on every aspect of the game.

We know what Williams can bring to the Thunder scoring-wise, but his playmaking was the most impressive aspect of his performance. He consistently found his teammates in the right situation, most notably with a pass right on the money to forward Ousmane Dieng under the basket in a key moment.

An All-Star level campaign is not out of question for the forward this season, especially if he continues growing smaller aspects of his game.

Olivier Sarr Could Receive Meaningful Minutes

With the absence of Jaylin Williams to a right hamstring strain, center Olivier Sarr has been required to step up in his place as the backup center to Holmgren.

Sarr looked fantastic in 21 minutes against Detroit, grabbing nine rebounds and blocking three shots. He made a solid impact for Oklahoma City, holding up the defense without Holmgren in a strong way.

The center won't provide much on the offensive end, but it's not a requirement for the backup position. Being a plus defender is enough, which Sarr has clearly demonstrated the possibility of.

It's somewhat of a surprise for a player that wasn't expected to receive a large role in the Thunder rotation this season. Once Jaylin and Kenrich Williams return, it will be interesting to see how Oklahoma City continues to find minutes for Sarr.

The win over Detroit was a much-needed recovery from the blowout defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, in which all the momentum Oklahoma City had came to a screeching halt. Gilgeous-Alexander was back in superstar form and the rest of the roster provided meaningful impact in their roles.

The Thunder get a day break following its back-to-back, staying home to play the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m CT.

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