OKC Thunder: 3 takeaways from statement win over Mavericks

The OKC Thunder began the second half of their 2020-21 NBA season on Thursday night against the visiting Dallas Mavericks.

The last time the two teams met, the Mavs outlasted the Thunder 87-78 on March 3. This time, the Thunder were the aggressors, hitting the court hot and staying that way until the final buzzer.

The Thunder’s 116-108 win snapped a four-game winning streak by the Mavericks. It also saw the return of Moses Brown and Aleksej Pokusevski, with the latter starting at forward alongside Luguentz Dort.

In his first NBA action since getting sent to the OKC Blue, Pokusevski saw nearly 30 minutes of action and played fairly well for the Thunder. The same problems that plagued him before being sent to the OKC Blue don’t seem to have left the rookie, as he still struggled with his shot.

Pokus finished with 14 points in the game, making him one of five Thunder players to hit double-digit scoring in the game, but he shot just 36.4 percent along the way. He was most effective in the rebounding game, where he pulled down eight total.

Brown got into the action there as well, finishing with a team-high 12 rebounds in the game, five of which came on the offensive glass. Brown’s rebounding capabilities are well-known among Thunder fans after his stint with the OKC Blue. There, Brown was phenomenal, averaging a league-leading 13.9 rebounds per game.

The transition back to an NBA court doesn’t appear to have slowed him down any.

Aside from Brown and Pokusevski, the Thunder also got another big game from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Gilgeous-Alexander continued his pre-All-Star game tear with another strong performance, scoring 32 points in 32 minutes and shooting 50 percent from the field while also finishing with six assists.  Al Horford scored 21 points on 53 percent shooting and pulled down nine rebounds, Luguentz Dort had 14 points, hitting four of his seven 3-point shots, and Theo Maledon finished with 11.

While Gilgeous-Alexander had the best game for the Thunder, Brown’s emergence as a threat is what leads TI’s 3 takeaways.

OKC Thunder takeaway No. 1) Moses Brown doesn’t regress in Thunder return

When looking at Brown’s performance on Thursday, it’s not hard to see why the OKC Thunder fans are excited about his development. The big man saw a little over 19 minutes of action, and aside from scoring in bunches, he looked much like the same player we were treated to in the NBA G League bubble.

Brown got his touches on Thursday.

He was given an opportunity to show that his G League dominance was the real thing and, although he wasn’t the same scoring machine, there were enough similarities to feel confident that his growth will continue trending in that direction.

Brown’s eight points on 37.5 percent shooting can, and likely will, improve.

He has shown flashes of being a prolific scorer, and once he settles down and finds his comfort zone in the NBA, those flashes will become more consistent.

While his shooting still needs a little bit of work, Brown was no slouch in the rebounding department, which is somewhere the OKC Thunder have needed a lot of help this season.

Brown finished the game with 12 rebounds, but the most important stat on the sheet for him and the Thunder was his five offensive rebounds. It’s little wonder how he pulls it off considering his 7-2 frame, but it’s an area the Thunder have been hammered in this season.

With Brown on the floor, the Thunder will have far more second-chance opportunities.