OKC Thunder: 3 key takeaways from first preseason win

The OKC Thunder welcomed the Denver Nuggets into the Paycom Center in downtown Oklahoma City for the team’s third of four preseason games before the 2021-22 NBA Regular season begins on October 20th in Utah against the Jazz.

The Oklahoma City Thunder won their first game of the 2021-22 NBA season, albeit the preseason, ensuring the organization will not suffer their first-ever win-less exhibition slate. The Thunder topped the playoff projected Denver Nuggets on the backs of their young players against the Nuggets regulars. A new starting lineup, a huge game from a rookie, and a breakout from Bazley all attribute to the key takeaways from this contest.

Key takeaways from the OKC Thunder 108-99 win over the Denver Nuggets

The Oklahoma City Thunder changed their starting lineup for the third time in three games, this time starting Derrick Favors at the center position as he makes his OKC Thunder debut against the Denver Nuggets. While matching up with a projected playoff squad, it seems as though Mark Daigneault has found his first five.

One of the key takeaways from this game is of course Darius Bazley, who led the team in points, had impressive coast-to-coast finishes, and looked like the player we all hoped he would for the past three seasons. As you know, I am a Bazley stan and could not resist whipping up an article only about Bazley as the final buzzer sounded off in the Paycom Center.

Since I jumped the gun on my Bazley praise, I will give you three additional takeaways that do not include Bazley’s brilliant game.

So for this trio of takeaways, we will remain focused on the Derrick Favors effect, Josh Giddey’s gigantic impact on this game and Lu Dort’s offensive potential shines in this preseason win over the Denver Nuggets.