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Thunder Notes: Historic Comeback, Caruso, Holmgren, SGA

April 25th, 2025 at 4:02pm CST by Rory Maher

After two lopsided victories in their first-round series against Memphis, the Thunder found themselves in a major hole in the first half of Game 3. Oklahoma City trailed by as many as 29 points and entered halftime down 26.

“In the moment, it sucks,” All-Star Jalen Williams said, per Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. “It’s not something that you want to make a habit of. But we also have extreme confidence in how we can play to kind of turn the tide.”

Aided in part by Ja Morant‘s hip injury, the Thunder were relentless on defense in the second half, forcing the Grizzlies into more turnovers (13) than made field goals (nine). Alex Caruso was at his best during that stretch, recording four steals in the final 14 minutes, Lorenzi adds.

“Our defense is our superpower,” Caruso said. “When we’re locked in on that side of the ball, we’re an unstoppable force.”

The Thunder ultimately pulled off the second-largest comeback in NBA playoff history, notes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. It was also the first time in playoff history that a team overcame a 26-point halftime deficit, according to Lorenzi.

Here’s more on the Thunder, who now hold a 3-0 lead on Memphis ahead of Saturday’s Game 4:

  • While much of the post-game focus was on Caruso’s excellent defensive work, head coach Mark Daigneault didn’t view his performance as out of the ordinary (Twitter video link via HoopsHype). “He changes every game he’s in,” Daigneault said of Caruso. “He’s like that every night, he’s like that in a preseason game, he’s constantly engaged in the competition and the size of the stage or the pressure of the game doesn’t impact him at all.”
  • In a column that was publishd prior to Game 3 and looks prescient in retrospect, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman explained why he believed Caruso was the “perfect playoff player” for Oklahoma City. “I feel like I’m one of the great competitors in this league,” Caruso said Tuesday. “I might not be in the top half, quarter, wherever you want to put it talent-wise… but as far as competing and putting it all out there and trying to win, I’m in the elite group of that.”
  • Big man Chet Holmgren finished the first half with one point and missed all four of his field goal attempts, but he caught fire in the second half, scoring 23 points, including 16 in the third quarter, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN relays. “Mark changed the trajectory of the game,” Holmgren said. “Trusted me in calling a play for me to bomb one at the half after the s— storm I put up in the first half. Credit to him for that. Once I saw one go in, I felt good.”
  • While the Thunder are in good shape heading into Saturday’s contest, star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has surprisingly struggled with efficiency thus far in the playoffs. In a detailed film breakdown, Rylan Stiles of SI.com says Gilgeous-Alexander has simply been missing shots he normally makes and isn’t worried about how he’ll fare for the rest of the postseason.
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Thunder Notes: Hartenstein, Holmgren, Dort, SGA, Williams

April 19th, 2025 at 7:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault didn’t get to use his twin tower lineup as much as he expected this season, but he’s seen enough to have confidence in it heading into the playoffs, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

After getting pounded on the boards in a second-round series loss to Dallas last year, Oklahoma City made finding another big man an offseason priority. The club was able to land Isaiah Hartenstein on a three-year, $87MM contract in free agency and planned to team him with Chet Holmgren to form a combination that could match up with the more physical teams in the West.

However, Hartenstein broke his left hand during the preseason and didn’t play his first game with OKC until November 20. By that time, Holmgren had suffered a fractured hip that kept him sidelined until early February. They were active on the same night only 20 times this season and logged 316 minutes together. It’s a small sample, but Daigneault liked how they looked.

“It would be more uncomfortable if it was like really stalling,” he said. “If it wasn’t getting off the ground or if it was low-impact or if it was clunky, then that’s a harder decision of (how much to use it). But it was good right away in unpredictable ways.”

The combination was effective on both ends of the court — Slater notes that the Thunder posted a 122.9 offensive rating and 109.4 defensive rating when they played together and outscored their opponents by 96 points. Their next challenge will be a matchup with 7’4″ rookie Zach Edey and Jaren Jackson Jr. in a first-round series against Memphis.

“The offensive flow that we’ve been able to maintain with two seven-footers on the floor (is key),” Daigneault said. “It’s something that always concerns you when you go super big. But I think it speaks to how skilled those guys are. They’re both in their own way very dynamic.”

There’s more from Oklahoma City:

  • In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Luguentz Dort talked about his chances of earning Defensive Player of the Year honors. Dort admits that defensive excellence can be difficult to quantify, but he hopes voters take the Thunder’s 68-win season into consideration. “This is just not numbers,” he said. “You got to be able to watch the games and see exactly what the players are doing on the court. I don’t think I have the most steals or the most blocks or whatever. But I know that every time I have a matchup, my matchup is in hell. So, it is hard to (define) because if you just go based on the numbers, I probably won’t be in a conversation. But if you watch the (other) games and watch our games the whole season, you could see that I take a lot of pride (in defense).”
  • Playoff inexperience is the major question facing the Thunder after a dominant regular season, notes Mark Medina of Athlon Sports. Players don’t believe that will be an issue, and they’re taking inspiration from last year’s early exit. “We have a ‘whatever it takes’ mentality,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “The goal is to win. However you get it done, it’s a step in the right direction. It’s going to look ugly at times. It’s going to look pretty at times. We want to be a team that gets it done, regardless.”
  • The playoffs present an opportunity for Jalen Williams to earn more national recognition, per Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated. Williams has only been in 10 postseason games, but he’ll be counted on to help Gilgeous-Alexander carry the scoring load.
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Thunder Notes: Records, Wiggins, Caruso, SGA, Hartenstein, Presti

April 3rd, 2025 at 10:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder won’t be able to match the 73-win record set by the 2015/16 Warriors, but they’re putting the finishing touches on one of the best regular seasons in NBA history, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

As Slater details, the Thunder’s point differential of +13.4 points per game would be an NBA record. They still have a shot at setting a new single-season record for net rating as well — their +13.2 mark is just shy of the +13.4 record set by the 1995/96 Bulls. Oklahoma City also established a new high-water mark for the best cross-conference record in league history by going 29-1 against Eastern Conference opponents and has tied the NBA record for most double-digit wins in a season (50).

Even though they’ve long since clinched the top seed in the Western Conference and have started to get their key players some rest, the Thunder continue to roll — they haven’t lost since March 10 and a 70-win season remains in play with six games left on their schedule. Still, as Slater details, Oklahoma City’s players appear unimpressed by their regular season accomplishments, stressing that a title is the only thing that matters to them.

“We don’t care not one bit about any of those records,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said this week. “They mean something, but in the grand scheme, they don’t. We’re after one thing and one thing only. That’s what’s on our mind. Everything else we don’t care about.”

“It’s cool,” Jalen Williams added. “That stat stuff is more for y’all than it is for us. That’s my only answer. Sorry.”

Here’s more out of OKC:

  • Aaron Wiggins, who has missed the past five games with left Achilles tendinitis, isn’t on the injury report for Friday’s game in Houston and should be available to make his return, tweets Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. Alex Caruso also isn’t on the injury report after sitting out Wednesday’s win over Detroit due to left ankle soreness.
  • In addition to being knocked out of last year’s NBA playoffs in the second round, Gilgeous-Alexander suffered an early exit at the Paris Olympics with Team Canada. Sam Amick of The Athletic takes a closer look at how those two tough losses are driving the MVP frontrunner — and how they remind him not to take any opportunities for granted. “Like (Thunder head) coach (Mark Daigneault) said a couple weeks ago, this group that we have today could be the best group of players I ever play with,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You think, ‘Oh, we’re all 25 or under, so we have a whole runway in front of us.’ But you never know what happens.”
  • In a wide-ranging interview with Rylan Stiles of SI.com, big man Isaiah Hartenstein explained why the Thunder’s culture helped convince him to sign with Oklahoma City last year, expressed respect for general manager Sam Presti, and shared his impressions of playing alongside fellow big man Chet Holmgren.
  • Presti is clearly the NBA’s Executive of the Year and deserves to be honored with that award this spring, Stiles argues in a separate SI.com story. In Stiles’ view, Presti has built the deepest roster in the NBA, with last offseason’s signing of Hartenstein and trade for Caruso making this season’s version of the Thunder even more formidable than last year’s team.
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Northwest Notes: Thybulle, Hartenstein, Holmgren, Jazz, Edwards

March 17th, 2025 at 8:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Matisse Thybulle played only six minutes in his season debut with the Trail Blazers on Sunday but he made a major impact. He blocked a three-point attempt by Orlando Robinson as time expired in the three-point victory, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian notes.

“It was fun,” Thybulle said. “My head was spinning a bit, got tired a lot faster than I was expecting, but felt like I fit in well. Felt like I was able to contribute early, which was something I was hoping to be able to do. And then, was able to recover from a mistake late in the game and save it.”

Head coach Chauncey Billups was thrilled to have the defensive stalwart back in action. Thybulle had been sidelined by knee and ankle injuries for most of the 2024/25 season.

“Obviously, you saw how he hadn’t played all year, and game’s on the line, you see, I trust him,” Billups said. “Just throw him out there.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • The Thunder‘s big man pairing of Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren was particularly effective in a win over Milwaukee on Sunday. Hartenstein had 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Holmgren had 16 points and eight rebounds. They also combined for six assists. “It’s improved over the course of games we’ve done it. … I think early on, when we were playing that lineup, it was against perimeter oriented teams, which can skew your impression of it,” head coach Mark Daigneault said, per Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman (Twitter link). “(Sunday) we used it against a team it was impactful against.”
  • The Jazz were fined $100K last week for holding out a healthy Lauri Markkanen, so they tried a new tanking strategy against the Raptors on Friday, Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Instead of making Walker Kessler inactive, the Jazz chose to dress the rotation center but not play him. Markkanen sat the entire second half while Collin Sexton played only 20 minutes and was held out during crunch time. That trio started against a much better opponent, the Timberwolves, on Sunday and the Jazz lost by 26 points.
  • Anthony Edwards, who was named Western Conference Player of the Week, has improved as a facilitator and The Athletic’s Fred Katz details his development in that aspect. Edwards has especially gotten better in reading defensive coverages and exploiting its weaknesses, Katz notes.
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NBA Looking At Thunder, Sixers For Possible Player Participation Policy Violations

March 14th, 2025 at 9:42pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA is investigating the Thunder and the Sixers for possible violations of the league’s player participation policy, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.

According to Charania, the NBA is looking specifically at the Thunder’s March 7 game vs. Portland, in which the team sat its entire starting five: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (rest), Chet Holmgren (lower leg contusion), Jalen Williams (wrist sprain), Luguentz Dort (patellofemoral soreness), and Isaiah Hartenstein (nasal fracture re-injury). Cason Wallace (right knee contusion) also missed the game, which wasn’t part of a back-to-back set.

While Holmgren sat out Oklahoma City’s March 5 contest too, the other five players who missed the Portland game were available on both March 5 and March 9.

Gilgeous-Alexander is the only Thunder player who meets the “star” criteria as defined by the player participation policy, but there’s a precedent for teams being penalized for sitting several “non-star” starters in the same game — the Nets were hit with a $100K fine last season for making a similar move.

Still, Rylan Stiles of SI.com (Twitter link) and Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link) are among the reporters to question the necessity of investigating the Thunder for their approach to the Portland game, given that they’ve had a strenuous post-All-Star schedule and still won the game by 18 points. Marks suggests that the league should be focused more on lottery-bound teams who may be flaunting the policy in an effort to improve their draft odds.

The Jazz, one such lottery-bound team, were fined $100K two days ago for a player participation policy. The Sixers, who have also seemingly pivoted to prioritizing lottery position in recent weeks, ruled out 11 players for Friday’s game vs. Indiana.

According to Charania, the league is looking at the Sixers due to the recent absences of Paul George (knee/back/finger) and Tyrese Maxey (back/finger). George has missed the past five games, while Maxey has been out for the past six, though head coach Nick Nurse said after Friday’s loss that Maxey should return at some point during Philadelphia’s upcoming six-game road trip (Twitter link via Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports).

The league may determine that the absences of George, Maxey, and the rest of the inactive Sixers players are legitimate, but if the club is determined to have violated the player participation policy, it could face a fine of $250K. That’s the amount for a second violation, and the 76ers already received a $100K fine earlier this season.

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Thunder’s Chet Holmgren Set To Return On Friday

February 6th, 2025 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

Even if the Thunder don’t complete any more trades before Thursday’s deadline, they’re set to make a major addition to their lineup this week.

Big man Chet Holmgren, who has been sidelined for nearly three months due to a right iliac wing fracture, is no longer on the team’s injury report and is expected to make his return on Friday vs. Toronto, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Holmgren suffered the injury, a form of pelvic fracture, on November 10 when he fell awkwardly on his side after trying to contest an Andrew Wiggins shot at the rim. Oklahoma City announced the following day that he would be reevaluated in eight-to-10 weeks.

The Thunder followed up in mid-January to say Holmgren’s next exam would come in approximately three-to-five weeks. Exactly three weeks after the team made that announcement, the 2024 Rookie of the Year runner-up will reportedly be back on the court on Friday.

Holmgren averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in 29.4 minutes per game across 82 starts in his first full NBA season in 2023/24 after he missed his entire ’22/23 rookie year due to a foot injury.

He had gotten off to an even better start this fall, averaging 18.2 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 2.9 BPG in 28.9 MPG across nine healthy outings, with a .519/.400/.776 shooting line.

Although the Thunder, who hold a league-best 40-9 record, hardly needed additional reinforcements, Holmgren’s return is an exciting development for the club, which still hasn’t gotten a chance to see the 22-year-old play alongside fellow big man Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC’s big free agent addition of the 2024 offseason. Hartenstein was recovering from an injury of his own at the start of the season when Holmgren was healthy.

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Chet Holmgren Progressing, Will Be Reevaluated In 3-5 Weeks

January 17th, 2025 at 6:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Thunder big man Chet Holmgren is continuing to make progress in his recovery from a right iliac wing fracture, according to the club, which announced on Friday that he’ll be reevaluated in approximately three-to-five weeks.

Holmgren suffered the injury, a form of pelvic fracture, on November 10, with Oklahoma City announcing the following day that he would be reevaluated in eight-to-10 weeks. That was approximately nine-and-a-half weeks ago, so an update from the team had been expected around this time.

The Thunder have handled Holmgren’s absence admirably, posting a 26-4 record without him. For most of that time, they’ve started Isaiah Hartenstein at center in place of Holmgren, though Hartenstein has missed some time with health issues of his own — he’s currently on the shelf with a left soleus strain.

Oklahoma City still hasn’t gotten a chance to see Hartenstein, the club’s top offseason free agent addition, on the court at the same time as Rookie of the Year runner-up Holmgren, since the two big men have yet to be healthy at the same time. There’s still hope that will happen at some point before the end of the regular season, but Holmgren’s recovery process will take at least a few more weeks.

Before getting injured in his 10th game of the season, Holmgren had averaged 18.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks in 28.9 minutes per game across nine outings, with a .519/.400/.776 shooting line.

In other Thunder injury news, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is expected to be a game-time decision on Friday vs. Dallas due to a sore right wrist, tweets Christian Clark of The Athletic.

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Thunder Notes: Mitchell, Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren

January 1st, 2025 at 3:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Thunder two-way player Ajay Mitchell continues to see his role expand. The 6’5” rookie wing has scored in double digits in three of the last five games.

Mitchell was chosen with the No. 38 pick of the draft and acquired in a draft night deal with the Knicks. Oklahoma City heavily scouted Mitchell, who played collegiately for Santa Barbara.

“(GM Sam Presti) loved him from the jump,” coach Mark Daigneault told Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. “I can remember (Presti), all the way back into last season, he was on the road watching him, and I remember him telling me about him before I ever laid eyes on him.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said Mitchell was a revelation in training camp.

“His situation coming into the season, you might not have expected this — I certainly didn’t. But after being with him for the first couple weeks of training camp and preseason, you can see where he’s going with it,” the All-Star guard.

We have more on the Thunder:

  • Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has already endorsed SGA as the league’s MVP in an interview with ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. The Thunder star scored 40 points in an eight-point victory over Minnesota on Tuesday. “I don’t know if they could give it to [Nikola Jokic] again,” Edwards said. “Yeah, I would say Shai. Yeah, he’s looking like the MVP, man. He was incredible once again tonight. He’s consistent every night. His team gonna give him the ball and just let him rock out every night. It’s nothing to think about. ‘Hey, get Shai the ball and he going to get busy, and then we’re going to figure it out after that.’ I love watching that. It’s incredible, man. If he is keeping him like that, I hope they give [MVP] to him this year for sure. I feel like he should have won it last year, but he’s playing out his mind right now.”
  • Chet Holmgren is itching to get back on the court, Gilgeous-Alexander told Lorenzi (Twitter link). “(Tuesday) he came in the locker room and said that he’s ready to go through shootaround with us. Typical Chet Holmgren. … I can’t imagine the game being taken from me like that. … for him to be on his way back, can only imagine how it feels. To see that smile on his face again, it’s very exciting.” Holmgren is recovering from a pelvic fracture suffered in November. On Nov. 11, he was given a timeline of eight-to-10 weeks for a reevaluation.
  • In case you missed it, Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week. Get the details here.
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Northwest Notes: Murray, Jazz Rookies, Sensabaugh, Holmgren

December 30th, 2024 at 10:45am CST by Luke Adams

After signing a four-year, maximum-salary extension during the offseason, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has faced some criticism in recent months for a slow, inconsistent start to the season. However, after averaging 17.8 points per game on .402/.337/.782 shooting in his first 13 outings, Murray has registered 22.2 PPG on .481/.407/.905 shooting in his last 11, including a season-high 34 points in Saturday’s win over Detroit.

“If people are gonna talk about me not making shots, then so be it,” Murray said after that performance, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “I know what I’m capable of. I know what I do. There’s a reason why I’m here, and there’s a reason why I’ve been able to win with this team and be here for years and be able to develop chemistry and all that. So I just let people talk. That’s what they do best.”

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who told reporters that Murray’s best stretch of the season has come in the past “seven to eight games,” noted that the standout guard often gets off to slow starts in the fall before finding his rhythm and producing like an All-Star. Malone stressed that he remains fully confident in Murray and added that he hopes the 27-year-old is tuning out his critics.

“I know that everybody is really riding Jamal Murray really hard right now. That’s not gonna do him any favors, man,” Malone said. “The guy cares. He wants to play better. He wants to help this team. His heart’s in the right place. And supporting him will go a long way. And that’s why I tell guys, don’t look at the damn phone. I don’t give a damn what you guys say about me. And he shouldn’t either.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • The lack of progress so far this season from Jazz rookies Cody Williams and Isaiah Collier is an issue, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who points out that Williams and Collier rank 331st and 332nd in both PER and BPM out of the 332 players who have logged at least 200 minutes so far this season. While it’s good news for Utah’s draft position that the duo hasn’t been more productive, Williams’ ineffectiveness on offense and Collier’s shooting and turnover issues are becoming concerning, Hollinger opines.
  • The Jazz did see some positive player development in Saturday’s loss to Philadelphia, with Brice Sensabaugh scoring a season-high 20 points and turning in one of the best games of his career, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscription required). Sensabaugh isn’t a defensive asset, but performance like Saturday’s suggest he may have enough offensive potential to make up for that, Larsen writes.
  • Thunder big man Chet Holmgren‘s recovery from his pelvic fracture is “testing his patience,” according to head coach Mark Daigneault, who says Holmgren wants to be working out and playing, but still needs to fully heal. “I’m not going to give you guys the blow-by-blow of what he’s doing, but you don’t go from like crutches to playing,” Daigneault said on Sunday (Twitter link via Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman). “So there’s going to be a progression, and he’s going to go through that, and he’s right where he should be right now.”
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And-Ones: Harper, Bailey, Demin, Wembanyama, Langford

December 3rd, 2024 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

It’s a mixed bag for the Rutgers’ freshmen duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey so far this season, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo. While Harper is considered a rising prospect and potential top pick, Bailey heads the list of prospects “who still have a lot to show.” The ESPN duo also identifies Houston’s Joseph Tugler, Duke’s Kon Knueppel and Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis as risers during college basketball’s first month with an eye toward the 2025 draft.

We have more from around the basketball world:

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