Chet Holmgren brought the storm in Denver as he helped the Thunder roll past the Nuggets with a 102-87 victory as the big man scored 25 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and two steals on 11/18 shooting. The Thunder opened the season with a bang against their Western Conference and Northwest Division rivals to prove that they are ready for serious contention.

OKC had full control of the game and was already ahead to begin the game. Neither team shot well from deep, shooting a combined 15/75 from downtown, with both teams under 25% shooting. Still, the Thunder were really scrappy from start to finish, and Holmgren’s presence down low on both ends really proved to be an x-factor in the victory.

Holmgren’s superior performance sends a strong message to all his critics in the offseason, saying that the big man isn’t really ready to roll with the big boys due to his lack of size and strength on the post. Now it seems that he is proving everyone wrong this season, and this opening performance shows a lot of point on that end so far.

Delivering on Both Ends of the Floor

OKC was expected to be quite shorthanded on the glass end with Isaiah Hartenstein expected to be out for almost a month due to a minor hand injury. However, Holmgren shored up the rebounding end and proved to able to hold his ground when needed. So far, Holmgren proved that he can now run the floor with authority – something that he didn’t have in the previous season and needed some serious work.

However, in the third quarter, his presence was seriously felt on the floor. He defended Nikola Jokic down low, and despite the reigning MVP’s strength on the post, Holmgren managed to find the right time to block the shot. OKC would go on to run the floor on a 3-on-3 break, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander found a cutting Holmgren – who slammed the door home with a massive dunk to cap off the possession.

Chet’s 14 rebounds was a tie for his career-high, and his presence on both ends of the floor proved to be pivotal in the Thunder’s first win of the season, showing how much they’ve grown to begin the campaign in just a short period of time.

Big Takeaways in the Game

SGA was a promising performer as always, finishing with 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Aaron Wiggins finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds in just 19 minutes off the bench, while Jalen Williams scored 12. It was a massive win for OKC, whose offseason additions have made them a massive favorite to win in the NBA Finals.

Jokic finished with a triple-double of 16 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds for Denver – the only silver lining in this tough loss. The Nuggets shot 7 for 39 from three and didn’t really have an answer to OKC’s stacked bench, who outscored its Denver counterpart at 25-16.

Russell Westbrook, who was added by the Nuggets to put up some support on their offense, only had six points on 2/10 shooting. It was a grim night for Denver, who infamously lost their chance to the Western Conference last season after blowing a 3-2 series lead against the Minnesota Timberwolves and losing Game 7 at home.

OKC, who opened the season as the youngest roster in the league at the age of 24 years, will now continue the second leg of their road trip in a showdown against the Chicago Bulls, playing against former Thunder guard Josh Giddey for the first time.