The Oklahoma City Thunder dropped a statement win Wednesday night to go up 2-0 in their first-round series against the New Orleans Pelicans. Unlike in Game 1, the Thunder did not give New Orleans much hope in Game 2, as they started and closed the contest like a house on fire in a 124-94 victory.
Chet Holmgren Shines in Game 2 Oklahoma City Thunder Win vs Pelicans (And Makes History)
Chet Holmgren got it going early in Game 2, as he scored a total of 20 points in the first half. It was just the first time in over 10 years that a rookie scored at least that many points in the first half of a game in the NBA Playoffs, according to StatMuse.
Holmgren shot 7/9 from the field and hit three of his four attempts from deep in the first half. He also had three rebounds, an assist, and a block in just 12 minutes of action by halftime. When Pels big man Jonas Valanciunas scored 11 points in the first three minutes of Game 2, Holmgren seemingly felt the challenge from his counterpart and racked up 13 points in the first seven minutes of the contest.
Overall in Game 2, the former Gonzaga Bulldogs star scored 26 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out an assist, and recorded two blocks in 29 minutes. He really did not have to do much in the second half, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams taking over on offense.
Apart from his first-half heroics,m Holmgren also became just the first Thunder rookie in the history of the franchise to get at least 26 points and seven rebounds, while shooting 9/13 from the field and 3/6 from behind the arc, and post a plus/minus of +32 in a playoff game.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for the Thunder with 33 points, while Williams concluded his night with 21 points. Josh Giddey and Lu Dort, meanwhile, combined for 28 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
Holmgren and the Thunder will look to stay hot, as they play the Pelicans on the road in Games 3 and 4 this coming Saturday and Monday, respectively. He should continue to play a valuable role for Oklahoma City, which is starting to prove that it has what it takes to go deep in the playoffs.
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