<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/thunder-news-chet-holmgren-delivers-motivating-pregame-speech-win-vs-mavericks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chet Holmgren delivers motivating pregame speech before Thunder win vs Mavericks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/0Chet-Holmgren-delivers-motivating-pregame-speech-before-OKC-win-vs-Mavericks0.jpg"></figure><h1>Chet Holmgren delivers motivating pregame speech before Thunder win vs Mavericks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-11T12:14:27-08:00">December 11th, 12:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-11T12:14:27-08:00">December 11th, 12:14pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren joined his teammates for their NBA Cup semifinal matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. All-Star Shai <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-playoff-feel-nba-cup-victory-mavericks">Gilgeous-Alexander revealed a ‘playoff feel’ versus the Mavericks</a>, beating them in a 118-104 blowout win that eliminated them from the mid-season tournament. The Thunder are heading to the semifinals in Las Vegas. Before Tuesday’s matchup, Holmgren addressed his Oklahoma City teammates.</p><p>Still recovering from a pelvic fracture, Holmgren isn’t typically around his Thunder teammates during games, but he was on tap for Tuesday’s NBA Cup quarter-finals. Gilgeous-Alexander <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1DlvWKRlyY&amp;t=621s" rel="noopener">talked</a> about his pregame speech before facing the Mavericks.</p><p>“It’s great to have Chet’s spirit around. He’s such a funny guy, and he’s so positive. He gives the pregame speeches before we run out and did it tonight. That’s probably why we won,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s always good having him around. Obviously, the circumstances aren’t perfect, but whenever we get blessed with his presence, it’s a plus.”</p><p>As for the speech, Gilgeous-Alexander says Holmgren kept it short, sweet, and under 30 seconds.</p><p>“Win the game. Get some more money. Protect homecourt,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He said it in a different way, a little bit more explicit. But, that’s what his message was.”</p><p>Not everyone remembered Holmgren’s pregame speech, including Cason Wallace. Still, the comedic side of it also stuck with Wallace, as it did with SGA.</p><p>“I don’t remember nothing from the speech. I remember running out, and I was laughing. He gave me a good laugh at least,” Wallace said. “He’s not always slacking with his pregame, but this time, I couldn’t tell you what he said.”</p><p>Perhaps Chet Holmgren’s presence alone inspired his Thunder teammates.</p><p>“I feel like it’s good for all of us to see his face around,” Wallace added. “To see that he’s in good spirits.”</p><h2><b>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gets real on ‘playoff feel’ in NBA Cup</b></h2><p>All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-alex-caruso-reveals-business-like-approach-nba-cup-showdown-vs-mavericks">Thunder took care of business against the Mavericks</a> in the semifinal round of the NBA Cup. Against the team that ended the Thunder’s postseason in last year’s playoffs, the Mavericks were handed the same fate in the association mid-season tournament.</p><p>During his walk-off interview, Gilgeous-Alexander <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1866710544050508123" rel="noopener">described</a> the postseason atmosphere felt at the Paycom Center.</p><p>“It had a little bit of a playoff feel. A little bit more at stake than just a regular-season game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I’m proud of the team. I’m proud of the guys. We rose to the moment.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"It had a little bit of a playoff feel… We rose to the moment."</p><p>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after the Thunder advanced to the NBA Cup Semifinals 🔥<a href="https://t.co/9OpHK3iLdQ">pic.twitter.com/9OpHK3iLdQ</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1866710544050508123?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Thunder awaits the winner of Wednesday’s matchup between the Rockets and Warriors. One of them will head to Las Vegas for the semifinals.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chet Holmgren delivers motivating pregame speech before Thunder win vs Mavericks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/thunder-news-isaiah-hartenstein-keeping-injured-chet-holmgren-good-spirits');   ga('set', 'title', 'Isaiah Hartenstein, Thunder keeping injured Chet Holmgren in good spirits');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Thunder-news-Isaiah-Hartenstein-OKC-keeping-injured-Chet-Holmgren-in-good-spirits.jpg"></figure><h1>Isaiah Hartenstein, Thunder keeping injured Chet Holmgren in good spirits</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-25T15:45:26-08:00">November 25th, 3:45pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-25T15:45:26-08:00">November 25th, 3:45pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Oklahoma City Thunder</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After missing the first 15 games of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2024-25 campaign, Isaiah Hartenstein can undoubtedly relate to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-chet-holmgren-reacts-to-isaiah-hartensteins-numbers-vs-blazers">injured forward Chet Holmgren’s unfortunate predicament</a>. Averaging 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks, Hartenstein’s minor, non-displaced fracture in his left hand stalled his two-way production that sorely missed. However, Isaiah is back into the fold following his Thunder debut in Oklahoma City’s 109-99 win against the Portland Trail Blazers and shed light on Holmgren’s current state.</p><p>Hartenstein <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL_16hM45SU" rel="noopener">spoke</a> about his talks with Holmgren at Thunder’s shootaround on Monday afternoon.</p><p>“We’ve been talking to him the whole time. It’s sad that it happened, but he’s been in good [spirits]. I think he’s been approaching it the right way,” Hartenstein said. “Sadly, I think the first injury probably helped him, knowing how to approach this. So, I think, just mentally, he’s in a good spot. Knowing him, he always wants to play. He’s a hooper. So, we’re just trying to be here for him and support him.”</p><p>Finishing with 13 points, 14 rebounds, a whopping five blocks, and three steals, Hartenstein will look to build on his impressive debut performance at the Paycom Center. Stuffing the stat sheet in his two-way production, Isaiah should continue to give Oklahoma City a significant boost throughout its four-game road trip.</p><h2><b>Isaiah Hartenstein on Thunder’s frontcourt injuries</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Thunder-center-Isaiah-Hartenstein_17266f.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-isaiah-hartenstein-reacts-triumphant-debut">Isaiah Hartenstein is back on the floor</a> and thrilled to be with his teammates competing during the regular season despite not having Chet Holmgren. When a reporter asked Hartenstein if he’d been through a similar situation on a team riddled with injuries to its frontcourt, Isaiah didn’t have to look far into his rearview mirror. He mentioned the New York Knicks and the injuries that plagued their 2024 playoff run.</p><p>“I was with the Knicks last year and the whole playoff team. I think we had three players in our normal rotation,” Hartenstein said. “That’s basketball. You never want it to happen, but some stuff you just can’t control. If you look at all of our injuries, it’s really stuff we can’t control. So, it’s a matter of how we prepare in the offseason. Sometimes, you can have some freakish stuff. Sadly, we’re having it all at the same time. But, we’re just focused on the next man up, and I think we’re doing a great job at that.”</p><p>The Thunder’s trip starts against the Sacramento Kings on Monday. It continues through California, stopping against the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers before ending against the Houston Rockets on Sunday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Isaiah Hartenstein, Thunder keeping injured Chet Holmgren in good spirits

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/thunder-news-jalen-williams-take-isaiah-hartenstein-contrast-chet-holmgren');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jalen Williams’ Thunder take on Isaiah Hartenstein in contrast to Chet Holmgren');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Jalen-Williams-Thunder-take-on-Isaiah-Hartenstein-in-contrast-to-Chet-Holmgren.jpg"></figure><h1>Jalen Williams’ Thunder take on Isaiah Hartenstein in contrast to Chet Holmgren</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-21T12:38:35-08:00">November 21st, 12:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-21T12:38:35-08:00">November 21st, 12:38pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After over a week of the Oklahoma City Thunder having three inactive centers on their injury report, starting forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-the-reason-jalen-williams-impressed-isaiah-hartenstein-return">Jalen Williams was thrilled for Isaiah Hartenstein’s Thunder debut</a> against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Starting center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-chet-holmgren-isaiah-hartenstein-injuries-okc-roster-move">Chet Holmgren injured his pelvic bone</a> in a 127-116 loss against the Golden State Warriors. He’s ruled out long-term, while Hartenstein’s tenure with Oklahoma City officially kicked off Wednesday in an impressive 109-99 win against the Trail Blazers.</p><p>After missing 15 games, Harteinstein delivered a double-double (13 points, 14 rebounds) with four blocks and three assists. It’s the kind of production the Thunder lacked in the Holmgren’s absence, as OKC is 3-3 since Chet went down. However, on the second night of a back-to-back, Hartenstein undoubtedly delivered a much-needed punch from the second unit.</p><p>Still, when a reporter <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNoy7fPJjJA&amp;t=148s" rel="noopener">asked</a> Williams if the veteran’s play was reminiscent of Holmgren, it was difficult for him to commit to that speculatory notion following Hartenstein’s long-awaited debut.</p><p>“I feel like him and Chet are like two different players, but in regards to just having a big down there, he did a terrific job,” Williams said. “But we also don’t want to use them as an excuse not to be aggressive on the wing. We have a lot of good wing-to-ball defenders. So, I think it’s one of those things where it just gives you more comfort having him at the rim. When Chet gets back, too, having them both there will be very comforting.</p><p>“But, on the wing, we try to get him to the ball, pressure up, and trust the guys that we have out there.”</p><h2><b>Jalen Williams on Isaiah Hartenstein’s ‘rebounding gravity’</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Thunder-center-Isaiah-Hartenstein_9ae576.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Jalen Williams knows Isaiah Hartenstein certainly didn’t disappoint in his Thunder debut. Hartenstein secured five of 15 offensive rebounds, assisting the Thunder with second-chance plays while giving his team size up front against the Trail Blazers.</p><p>After the win, Williams talked about Hartenstein’s impact on the glass.</p><p>“Just having him back adds rebounding gravity. Then, when he’s not in the game, it’s just something that we’ve been dealing with all season due to injuries,” Williams said. “I think our biggest thing was not veering from it now that he’s back. I know I made a joke about it — having to jump-ball again — but we still do have to play relatively small when he’s not on the court. So, a lot of those principles that we built up over the course of the season, we still have to kind of maintain.”</p><p>Hartenstein’s presence in the middle also coerced the Trail Blazers into committing 22 turnovers in Wednesday’s loss.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jalen Williams’ Thunder take on Isaiah Hartenstein in contrast to Chet Holmgren

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/thunder-news-chet-holmgren-reacts-to-isaiah-hartensteins-numbers-vs-blazers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Chet Holmgren reacts to Isaiah Hartenstein’s numbers vs. Blazers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Chet-Holmgren-reacts-to-Isaiah-Hartensteins-numbers-vs-Blazers.jpg"></figure><h1>Thunder’s Chet Holmgren reacts to Isaiah Hartenstein’s numbers vs. Blazers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-20T22:16:08-08:00">November 20th, 10:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-21T15:12:46-08:00">November 21st, 3:12pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Oklahoma City Thunder, like every other NBA team, has had their fair share of injury woes to start the 2024-25 season. Chet Holmgren, who will be out until at least the All-Star break with a hip fracture, is their biggest loss, and for a while, the Thunder had no choice but to go small amid the injuries to their frontcourt.</p><p>But thankfully, Isaiah Hartenstein, who missed the start of the season with a hand fracture, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-isaiah-hartenstein-positive-injury-update-season-debut">returned just in time</a> for OKC’s 109-99 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.</p><p>Hartenstein did not start, but as he did so many times in a bench role with the New York Knicks in the past, he ended up being a game-changing presence.</p><p>In 29 minutes off the bench, Hartenstein put up 13 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, and four blocks while tallying a game-high plus-minus of +16 — being everything the Thunder envisioned he’d be when they signed him to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-big-splash-isaiah-hartenstein-87-million-contract">three-year, $87 million deal</a> this past offseason.</p><p>With the Thunder being known for their locker-room camaraderie, it was no surprise to see Holmgren <a href="https://x.com/ChetHolmgren/status/1859444985319342503" rel="noopener">hype up his frontcourt mate</a> after his triumphant return from a 15-game absence.</p><p>“Beautiful thing to watch,” Holmgren wrote on his official account on X (formerly known as Twitter), pertaining to Hartenstein’s performance. Indeed, it was a beautiful thing to see Hartenstein battle against the likes of Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III. The Blazers may have had the size advantage, but Hartenstein allowed the team to play bigger than they are.</p><p>There were plenty of reasons why the Thunder emerged as a trendy pick to win it all in 2025, and Hartenstein is showing just how impactful he can be. Imagining the Thunder at full strength and how even more dominant they could be, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-already-drawing-goat-defense-takes">especially on defense</a>, should terrify the rest of the NBA.</p><h2><b>Isaiah Hartenstein restores order to Thunder frontcourt</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Thunder-center-Isaiah-Hartenstein-55-celebrates-a-dunk.jpg"></figure><p>For the past five games heading into their Wednesday night win over the Blazers, the Thunder had to go small for the entirety of games since all of the centers on the roster were on the mend. Chet Holmgren broke his hip. Isaiah Hartenstein was waiting for his fractured hand to heal, and Jaylin Williams is still dealing with a tricky hamstring injury.</p><p>Hartenstein’s return finally restores some order to the Thunder frontcourt. They have a legitimate center patrolling the paint now, which should make winning games for the 12-4 Thunder that much easier moving forward, which is saying something.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Chet Holmgren reacts to Isaiah Hartenstein’s numbers vs. Blazers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mark-daigneault-makes-urgent-plea-to-thunder-amid-chet-holmgren-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mark Daigneault makes urgent plea to Thunder amid Chet Holmgren injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Mark-Daigneault-makes-urgent-plea-to-OKC-amid-Chet-Holmgren-injury.jpg"></figure><h1>Mark Daigneault makes urgent plea to Thunder amid Chet Holmgren injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-18T14:06:18-08:00">November 18th, 2:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-18T14:06:18-08:00">November 18th, 2:06pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Oklahoma City Thunder head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-chet-holmgren-isaiah-hartenstein-injuries-okc-roster-move">Mark Daigneault knows life without Chet Holmgren</a>‘s been challenging for his team, but up until Sunday’s loss against the Dallas Mavericks, it hadn’t gotten in the way of winning. Holmgren fractured a pelvic bone in the first quarter of a 127-116 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Since then, Daigneault’s guys had rattled off three consecutive victories before the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-jalen-williams-calls-loser-mentality-mavericks-loss-without-luka-doncic">Thunder’s 121-119 loss to the Mavericks</a>.</p><p>For Daigneault, it’s enough <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyfz_u5ydz0" rel="noopener">proof</a> to show how dominant the Thunder’s defense remains despite missing its seven-foot center in the starting five.</p><p>“It started on the perimeter. That’s where our strength has to be right now. We’ve got really good defensive players. We’ve been really good all week. I thought tonight they were just a better perimeter team,” Daigneault said. “I thought they drove us and were able to kind of get the best of us there. And we’re going to give up other advantages right now. So, we really have to be able to able to really bank those at the moment. But they were two points better. It wasn’t a huge score. So, we were just a couple of plays away, obviously, from being able to win the game.”</p><h2>Mark Daigneault addresses Thunder’s perimeter defense</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Thunder-head-coach-Mark-Daigneault_e9ea3d.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Before Sunday’s loss, without Chet Holmgren, Mark Daigneault’s Oklahoma City Thunder were defending the perimeter at a high level. After limiting the New Orleans Pelicans’ starting lineup to 6-of-22 from deep in a 106-88 win, the Thunder held the Phoenix Suns to 24.3% shooting from behind the arc in Friday’s win.</p><p>Without superstar Luka Doncic, the Mavericks connected on 11-of-27 threes (40.7%). PJ Washington scored a team-high 27 points, including 3-of-4 from deep, and Kyrie Irving poured in 23, including 3-of-6 from three.</p><p>When a reporter asked Daigneault about the Thunder’s point-of-attack defense, he was honest in sharing his disappointment with Oklahoma City’s approach.</p><p>“Not great. That’s probably one of the things that we got to get to the drawing board on. We’re going to give up some plays around the basket; we’re going to give up an offensive rebound here or there. We have to win the perimeter right now. And what we’ve done all week is we’ve won perimeter, and I thought Dallas won the perimeter tonight.”</p><p>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points on 13-of-19 attempts and made 9-of-11 free throws. Jalen Williams finished with 27 points, five assists, and five rebounds, and Lu Dort added 18 points, including 4-of-9 from deep and five rebounds in Sunday’s loss.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
16.4	8.7	2.0	2.6	0.8

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
16.4	8.7	2.0	2.6	0.8

Chet Holmgren

Latest Chet Holmgren News

Chet Holmgren delivers motivating pregame speech before Thunder win vs Mavericks

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Jalen Williams’ Thunder take on Isaiah Hartenstein in contrast to Chet Holmgren

Thunder’s Chet Holmgren reacts to Isaiah Hartenstein’s numbers vs. Blazers

Mark Daigneault makes urgent plea to Thunder amid Chet Holmgren injury

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