OKC Thunder Bench Must Provide Spark in Denver

Oklahoma City secured its split in Game 2 and needs some contributions off the bench to regain home-court advantage.

The Thunder’s dominant performance in Game 2 was the perfect response after blowing Game 1 in the final minutes. Obviously, there will be numerous positives in a 43-point win, but one of the most intriguing advantages for the Thunder was their bench production.

While the starters carried the load and put the game out of reach, the Thunder’s bench still had some big plays that kept Denver from ever chipping away at the margin. While it can be said that the Thunder bench simply needs a repeat performance of Game 2, there might be a bit more pressure on them, assuming the Nuggets can get back to their usual form in their home arena.

The Thunder are unlikely to see Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun combine to shoot 6-of-28 again in Game 3. That means the Thunder will need their reserves to provide an extra punch to neutralize the effort of Denver’s main guys. 

Perhaps the most encouraging performance for the Thunder’s bench in Game 2 was Aaron Wiggins. The Thunder’s fourth-leading scorer this season seemed to find a groove against the Nuggets’ defense on Wednesday, which could be exactly what the Thunder need moving forward.

He scored 10 points in under 15 minutes of action, including a crowd-erupting putback dunk in the second quarter. Considering the Thunder’s poor effort on the glass in the series opener, more hustle plays like that from him could be contagious for the rest of the team.

Of course, the hustling defensive duo of Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace will also be massive for the Thunder heading out on the road. While role players can often struggle to keep their offensive groove away from home, defense always travels.

If those two can continue to harass Denver’s ball handlers and get the Thunder some easy fast-break buckets, it could be smooth sailing for the No. 1 seed. 

Although much of his production came with the game firmly out of reach, Isaiah Joe’s sneaky 5-of-5 performance for 14 points could be enough to give him some momentum into Games 3 and 4.

Meanwhile, the biggest wild card and potentially most important bench player might be Jaylin Williams. The Thunder have found success when Williams is on Nikola Jokic, albeit in a limited sample size. However, if he can continue to give Jokic issues and frustrate the three-time MVP, Williams’ deadly outside shot could suddenly turn him into a Thunder hero. 

The Thunder have plenty of options off the bench, and they may only need one to have a breakout stretch in Denver to flip the series back in Oklahoma City’s favor.