3 Studs, 1 dud from massive Thunder victory over recently renewed rival Spurs

In one of the most anticipated matchups to start the season, the OKC Thunder came out guns blazing in a dominant 105-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. 

Before the game even started, the national media was pushing the Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama rivalry, which will be highlighted again on November 19 when the second meeting will be nationally televised on TNT. 

However, on Wednesday night, there was not much of a rivalry present as Chet and company held Wemby to a career-low 6 points on only five shots taken. Defense in general dominated this game, as Oklahoma City came away with 18 steals and a whopping 6 blocks. 

While there were certainly players like Holmgren who stepped up and played like tried-and-true stars the entire night, even in an impressive win such as this, there were still some lackluster performances found.

Studs and dud from Thunder victory over rival Spurs

Stud: Chet Holmgren

The Rookie of the Year runner-up showed why he is going to be the better of the two between himself and Wembanyama, who was the recipient of the ultimate recipient of the aforementioned award in 2024. 

The rising star would finish his night with 19 points, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, making his defensive presence felt right from the start. 

Right from the opening tip, Chet displayed his elite defensive chops, as he deflected a lob to the Spurs big man cornerstone, then recovered to block Jeremy Sochan for the put-back layup. This served as the tone-setter for the club, as OKC would then run away with this matchup. 

Holmgren would also finally find his shooting ability again, going a perfect 3-for-3 from long range, while shooting 70 percent from the field as a whole. 

The Gonzaga product is looking like a true second option for the Thunder, while also looking like an All-NBA hopeful this season. This performance on national television should make his presence known throughout the league now.

Dud: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

It is hard to find duds in a game like this one, however, to say the MVP runner-up underperformed would be quite an understatement. 

After dropping 35 points against the Hawks on Sunday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would end up with only 18 points on 7-for-20 shooting, while cashing in on just two of his ten attempts from behind the arc against San Antonio. 

The shooting needs to be there if this squad wants to dominate games and be known as the best team in the league. There were times when the Spurs would go on runs because SGA would be unable to hit his shots. 

Thankfully, he would find other ways to contribute to the club, as he would end the night tallying 5 assists and a steal. 

Other than that, it was a basic performance from the superstar.

Stud: Lu Dort 

Somehow Lu Dort would end up as the leading scorer from the night, which is usually never the case. 

The defensive juggernaut showed off his offensive genius Wednesday, as he finished with an impressive 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks while going 6-for-8 from long range.

Dort could do no wrong, being the key reason the Thunder were able to win by 12 points on the night.

His defense was fantastic, limiting his opponents while on the court. His help defense was also great, clogging the lane when necessary to help stop Wembanyama. 

The 3-point shot was almost unguardable the entire night, which helped the team go on some big runs. This also comes off the back of another impressive performance Dort had against the Hawks where he went 4-for-6 when hosting Atlanta. 

With more of these types of games, the veteran could officially establish himself among casuals as one of the top 3-and-D players in the NBA. 

Stud: Ajay Mitchell

The second round draft pick is playing like a first-round talent thus far into his NBA career, and is making a name for himself with the Thunder. 

Ajay Mitchell did his best to convince viewers that he might be in the running for the biggest steal of the 2024 NBA Draft, as he dropped 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals while shooting a near-perfect 5-for-6 from the floor.

The rookie has been a player who immediately received playing time within coach Mark Daigneault's banged-up rotation, even though he is still new to the team. 

He quickly turned heads with the organization during preseason and training camp, and that was enough for him to now be used as a key part of this Thunder bench unit, sometimes serving as the first player to sub into the game. 

The Santa Barbara product seems like a jack-of-all-trades type of talent, doing almost anything and everything on the court in an attempt to make his impact felt.

Particularly, these efforts were on full display during a spark-plug play early in the second, where Mitchell would convert a contact layup and then proceed to disrupt the inbound pass for San Antonio thereafter, which, in turn, led to a Chet pull-up three.

This one sequence would encapsulate how dominant Oklahoma City was the entire night.

It's seems safe to say that Sam Presti once again got another steal in the draft.