11.05.24 Bolts: More Dominant than Lucky

Cray Allred -

THUNDER BOLTS ⚡ A Daily Thunder staple, rounding up of the most share-worthy news and notes. Catch up at the blog, and follow @brandonrahbar for round-the-clock coverage of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

BEGINNER'S LUCK?

OKC has not been tested this season. As the cliche goes, the team is merely taking care of business against overmatched competition. But the Thunder are for real, and so is their early season dominance.

The Thunder blew out the Magic. Suprised?

"OKC's attack remained balanced on offense and suffocating on defense. And guess what happened in the third quarter? Oklahoma City extended its 15-point halftime lead to a relatively insurmountable 84-58. The fourth quarter pretended to matter for a while, as the second quarter had before it. Truth be told, Orlando's leftover offense just had no chance without Paolo Banchero. They were lucky to score 70, let alone 86."

The win makes OKC the first team to open a season with seven straight double-digit victories.

Beating Orlando without Paolo Banchero didn't feel very impressive. But this isn't just early season luck: OKC is 12th in strength of schedule and is playing an outsized, direct role in their opponents' winning percentages this early in the season. By taking one of their foes' six-to-eight games to date, the Thunder have pushed each of their winning percentages down by 12.5%-to-16.67%. Oklahoma City is also standing out from the pack in a league marked by parity so far: only four other teams are more than one game above .500. The Thunder are for real, and so is their early season dominance.

Lu Dort doesn't care what Draymond Green thinks about Thunder postgame customs.

Neither does Jalen Williams.

College hoops are here, and so are the 2025 draft. See how Bleacher Report mocks four (lol) OKC selections way too early.

The latest from our friends at The Uncontested Podcast.

This week in ancient former Thunder players:

Russ might not be bringing Denver's shooting percentages up, but he's certainly fanning the flames of small guard fire.

Anyone waiting for me to nag you into voting? I'm not gonna. Instead, I will encourage you to love thy neighbor when engaging civically.

Thunder take seventh straight win from Magic
Ho hum. A blowout is a blowout.
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