Takeaways: One growing concern, and one key improvement for the Thunder in win over Heat

Turnovers are an emerging concern

OKC Thunder is built with a bunch of decision-makers. But miscues have been starting to pile up in recent games, including this one. 

The Thunder had 12 turnovers, three more than the Heat, which missed veterans Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler. Some of these turnovers have been head-scratching to say the least. 

The Thunder have been averaging about 14 turnovers in the past four games. That is quite a ton for a team that prides itself on being a bunch of smart decision makers. Certainly, this is a nugget of concern. 

This problem is not even self-inflicted. The Heat recorded eight steals in the game, which meant that the aggressiveness of the Heat or any team that plays unrelenting defense could pose a problem for the Thunder on their road to contention. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had the most turnovers in the game with three. However, with his usage rate, it may be understandable that he turns the ball over that much. 

The entire starting lineup, on the other hand, combined for eight turnovers in the game as Josh Giddey coughed up two, Chet Holmgren picked up two, and Jalen WIlliams had one. 

This is the time to look in the bigger picture. If the Thunder want to break the proverbial ceiling, those mistakes have been cleaned up. Perhaps it is just a matter of time before these bite them back.