Chet Holmgren lingered in the paint with his eyes on Amen Thompson. The seven-footer licked his chops when he decided to drive to the basket. His help defense resulted in another empathy hit. A desperation layup went well short of the rim, and the likely first-time volleyball All-Star dunked it in for another block.
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Houston Rockets 111-91 in the final seconds. A 27-6 run early in the fourth quarter turned the game from a possession battle to a lopsided scoreboard.
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Holmgren made 7 of 9 shots and scored 18 points, 9 rebounds and 1 assist. He made 2 of 3 three-pointers and 2 of 3 free throws. He also had four blocks and two steals.
Taking advantage of the Rockets’ excessive focus on offensive rebounds, Holmgren had a busy night in the paint. He scored 11 points in the first quarter with a textbook counterattack and several running dunks. He moved the floor well and got a lot of easy chances in transition.
Holmgren confidently beat Kevin Durant off the dribble in the fourth quarter. He drove through the paint and scored easily. Everything went well for the 23-year-old, as Houston kept forgetting to get a seven-footer on the floor on several possessions.
On the other end of the floor, Holmgren continues to build his case for Defensive Player of the Year. At this point, it won’t be long before he catches up with the league’s shot-blocking leader. Since he played the center position, it was only natural that he would be rejected many times.
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The Thunder got this one early in the fourth quarter. Holmgren helped out while manning the second unit defense. Ultimately, it turned into a blowout — a rather surprising development considering how close the first three innings of the game were.
“This could be a game down to the wire. Going into the fourth quarter, only two points left. If you screw up in this game, you could be down 10 points at the first timeout,” Holmgren said. “We came out in the fourth and struck first, which was awesome. We didn’t slow down from that point on.”
This is one of Holmgren’s best basketball pieces. After some recent lulls, the Thunder’s defense is back to its best. Even so, they still ranked among the best in defensive statistics all season long. What you see from the 23-year-old may not light up the social media world, but it has returned the Thunder to dominance.
“Just keep at it. When you lose, everyone acts like the ceiling is falling, the sky is falling. ‘Sell the team!'” — I don’t think anyone said that. But that’s what it feels like. When you lose, everything becomes finicky. Everything is under a microscope,” Holmgren said. “You can’t forget who you are and what you’re doing. How to do these things when you are going through those times. Sometimes, you have to survive so you can thrive. That’s not to say it’s all smooth sailing and we’re gone forever. This is the NBA. The team is good. The schedule is tough. “
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Chet Holmgren helps Thunder beat Rockets in impressive fashion
