Three Takeaways from the OKC Thunder’s Double Overtime Win Over the Raptors

The Thunder underwent a thriller in Oklahoma City last night. 

Although it gained the victory over the Toronto Raptors 135-127, it took the Thunder double overtime periods to close out the game. It was highly competitive throughout, and included a step-back 3-pointer from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over Scottie Barnes to snag  the second overtime, cementing another MVP caliber performance for the All-Star starter. 

Oklahoma City is on a winning streak of its own once again, proceeding after victories over the Denver Nuggets and Charlotte Hornets. Even with the newfound absence of Jalen Williams, it has managed to keep up its momentum.

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Thunder now occupy the top two spots of the Western Conference with the same record, just a game over the Los Angeles Clippers. The race in the Western Conference is quite the battle, and this win only helps it going forward.

Here are three takeaways from Oklahoma City's double overtime win:

Playing Without Dub

Losing a top-two scorer on any team is going to sting, so when the Thunder lost Jalen Williams to a right ankle injury against the Timberwolves, a little more panic set in. 

Replicating his production isn't easy, especially with how well the forward played in the month of January. He's been a crucially important player in Oklahoma City's success, so the stretch without him was expected to be tough.

The Thunder have exceeded expectations in that regard, continuing to win even without one of its best players. Many players in the lineup have been required to step up in bigger roles and have an increased role in the offense, and its mostly been seemless. 

A higher workload has affected some — including Luguentz Dort with his 8-for-19 shooting night — but the production has still kept up for the most part. Oklahoma City shot a respectable 36.5% for behind the arc against the Raptors, even though it was on an incredibly high volume of 63 shots. 

The Thunder will have to remain without Williams for the near future, but if it can continue playing this well without him, the return will boost it even more. 

The Aaron Wiggins Show

Out of the players stepping up in a larger role after Williams' injury, Aaron Wiggins has undoubtedly been the most impressive one. 

After hardly gaining much playing time for the first couple months of the season, Wiggins has scored 42 points in his last three games, including a 20 point outing against Toronto. 

The forward has been an efficient offensive player as well as a effective wing defender, filling in nicely as a 3&D player. His skillset is so beneficial for the Thunder squad currently assembled, serving as a "Swiss Army knife" as Gilgeous-Alexander described after Wiggins' 22-point game against the San Antonio Spurs over a week ago. 

Wiggins also made one of the biggest plays of the night against the Raptors, knocking down a clutch corner 3-pointer with a 1:39 left in second overtime, all but sealing the game for Oklahoma City.

A player who seemingly fell out of the main rotation has rapidly gotten back to being a key contributor on the roster, and his role going forward should continue moving up. 

Big Game Giddey

Although it's been a disappointing season for Josh Giddey, his performance against the Raptors was arguably his best of it thus far. 

The guard put up 24 points, six rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a game high of +17 while shooting 9-of-15 from the field. He was a big reason as to why Oklahoma City made a run to get back into the game, eventually leading to the double overtime periods. 

The absence of Williams has allowed Giddey to have an increased role with the ball in his hands, which plays to his special skillset more so than playing off-ball. He was allowed to control the game at times and it gave him the opportunity top play his game freely, leading to higher production.

It could be a huge confidence-booster that sets Giddey back on track as one of the Thunder's most important players, an attribution that he has lost over the last couple of months. 

As Williams continues to be out of the rotation, it will be interesting to see how Giddey continues to play in a larger role.

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