OKC Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander career night tops 3 takeaways

OKC Thunder has grown since season start:

The growth of the OKC Thunder from the beginning of the season was clear, but this match demonstrated by how much.

The loss to the Lakers was one of a handful this season which was lost by more than 10 points. Three of those losses occurred in the first 20 games (Wizards, Pacers, Blazers). Since then there are two such losses with one occurring on Boxing Day to the Grizzlies. A date historically that registers as one of the four most difficult games for all teams to find focus. The other three are the last game prior to Christmas as well as the last game before and first game after the All-Star break.

In the first 20 games of the season, the Thunder registered two wins where the point differential was 10 points or greater (Warriors, Pelicans). In the last 20 games, they’ve delivered five of those efforts. More importantly, a couple of those came against elite teams (Jazz, Rockets).

Revisiting the loss to the Lakers it’s also worth noting the key takeaway in that game was the first quarter. Remove that frame from the equation and the Thunder outscored LA 94-84 through the next three quarters.

That the team understood the necessity to come out with energy in both the first and third quarters in Minnesota pinpoints how much this team has grown.