The Oklahoma City Thunder pushed past the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night, scoring a 130-123 victory in overtime.
It was a tough loss for the Warriors but a huge triumph for the young Thunder team, who have been making a statement so far this season.
After the game, rookie Chet Holmgren praised his teammate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who may be on his way to his first MVP trophy.
According to HoopsHype, Holmgren said, “When one of your best offensive players is one of your best defensive players, it’s huge.”
Chet Holmgren compliments Shai: “When you when one of your best offensive players is one of your best defensive players, it’s huge.” pic.twitter.com/6Rlycw2Y4V
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) November 19, 2023
Holmgren is right to praise Gilgeous-Alexander for his phenomenal play lately because the young man has been downright unstoppable at times.
That was so obvious on Saturday when the guard exploded with 40 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Six of those rebounds were defensive, which speaks to Holmgren’s praise.
Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t just a problem when he’s scoring, he’s an issue for opponents when he is defending too.
Of course, Holmgren was no slouch either: he blew everyone away with 36 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in the win over Golden State.
When the season began, people wondered just how far this Thunder team could go.
After years and years of waiting, had all the pieces come together, and were they truly a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference?
They now have a 9-4 record and have won four games in a row.
There is talk that Gilgeous-Alexander could win MVP for the first time in his career and there is also speculation that Holmgren could earn Rookie of the Year.
What are the chances that one team has two players that earn such honors?
Right now, those chances actually seem pretty high.
NEXT:
Chet Holmgren Reflects On His Game-Tying Shot Against Warriors
