The OKC Thunder led from the second quarter on to secure a 126-102 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
OKC (11-1) was led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who racked up 28 points, 12 assists and five rebounds in just 28 minutes. After guiding the Thunder to a 19-point first half lead, SGA scored 11 of his points during the third quarter to help eliminate any hopes for a Warriors comeback.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
Order commemorative book on Thunder’s run to NBA title
Chet Holmgren everywhere in win
The Warriors had zero answers for Chet Holmgren.
Holmgren was dominant, posting 23 points and 11 rebounds while shooting a perfect 9 of 9 from the field.
Holmgren was locked in from the opening tip, record seven points and four rebounds through his first eight minutes. Golden State kept things at bay early on, leading by two with three minutes remaining in the first frame.
But it was all OKC from there, as Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein‘s presence at the rim deterred Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga from getting quality paint touches for the next two quarters.
Holmgren’s final bucket came on an and-one in the final minutes of the third quarter before checking out to a standing ovation.
Stephen Curry struggles in first game back from illness
There wasn’t much cooking in OKC for ‘Chef Curry’ on Tuesday.
After missing three games due to an illness, Curry struggled mightily in his return. He made his exit from the floor midway through the third quarter and finished the day with a season-low 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting from the field with five fouls.
One of his fouls came at the end of the first quarter when he was called for a flagrant foul after sticking out his leg on a 3-point attempt. It was the first time in Curry’s career that he has been called for a flagrant foul.
Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell took turns shadowing Curry, who appeared more tired than normal when exiting the floor.
Golden State’s three stars in Curry, Butler and Draymond Green only combined for 26 points.
Ajay Mitchell continues to blossom as a starter
There wasn’t much time that Ajay Mitchell wasn’t on the floor Tuesday.
And when he was, his impact was felt.
Mitchell shined in his fourth consecutive start, pouring in 17 points, three rebounds and two assists in a game-high 31 minutes. He was a irritant on both ends.
This adds to an already stellar start to the season for Mitchell. He entered the day averaging 17.2 points, 4.1 assists and four rebounds on 46.2% shooting from the field.
Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @thejordancdavis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder cruises to rout in Stephen Curry’s return to Warriors
