But by the end of the game, the most striking spot in all of basketball became obsolete. Even the spirit of those within the Wall had been shattered by a barrage of Thunder cubes.
The only spectacle left was the celebration of the OKC players, who improved to 8-0 with a 126-107 victory over the Clippers. The Thunder have now set a franchise record for most wins to start a season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 30 points and 12 assists in just 29 minutes. It marked his first double-double performance of the season.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
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James Harden is a hard cover
Cason Wallace has earned a reputation for having some of the best hands in the NBA. And he reminds everyone of that after a steal and a transition basket showing his palms in a celebration that mimics the Allstate logo.
But Wallace was tasked with covering what is known as a high-risk client on Tuesday.
It would be James Harden, who went from 0 to 60 miles per hour in an instant to start the fight. He racked up 17 points during the first quarter on 5-of-8 shooting from the field (4-of-5 from deep), and continued to torch the Thunder after that.
When Harden got a pass behind the arc midway through the second quarter, Wallace waved his hands in the air, wreaking havoc, hoping to deter the lethal bucket receiver. But Harden still dropped a deep bomb on them and watched it find the back of the net.
On a night when scoring was at a premium for Los Angeles, which was without Kawhi Leonard (sprained right ankle) and Bradley Beal (right knee injury management), Harden finished with 25 points and six assists in 30 minutes.
Thunder broke out again in the second quarter forcing turnovers
Wallace isn’t the only Thunder player with good hands.
Ajay Mitchell also showed off his medal gloves late in the second quarter when Kris Dunn waited for John Collins to cut to the hoop. But before that happened, he felt the ball being taken away from him.
The culprit was Mitchell. He forced a fumble that was picked up by Isaiah Joe, who finally finished the play at the other end by hitting a three-pointer.
Despite ranking 29th in the NBA in turnovers per game (17.8), Los Angeles did not commit a single turnover in the first quarter. That helped it build a 33-23 lead, and OKC even trailed by a season-high 13 points during that stretch.
But the Thunder responded in the second quarter by forcing eight turnovers, which they turned into 15 points. That helped cut the deficit to 57-56 at halftime.
OKC finished the night with 19 forced turnovers. He turned those errors into 34 points.
Isaiah Joe provided a shot of adrenaline
On a night that marked a late game for the Thunder, he needed a cup of coffee to wake up.
OKC got a shot of adrenaline off the bench from Joe, who scored 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field (6-of-10 from deep). It was another great performance from the guard, who has made up for lost time after missing the first five games due to a bruise on his left knee.
Joe is shooting 14 of 29 from deep (48.3%) this season. His 14 made 3-pointers mark the most of any Thunder player in franchise history through the first three games of a season. That record was previously set by Kevin Martin (12) in 2012-13.
Tips
- Gilgeous-Alexander now holds sole possession of the third-longest streak of 20-point regular-season performances (80) in all of NBA history. He was tied with Oscar Robertson. Gilgeous-Alexander trails only Wilt Chamberlain, who had two streaks of 126 games and 92 games.
- Chet Holmgren returned after missing the last three games due to a lower back sprain. He finished with 11 points, five rebounds and three blocks.
- Lu Dort suffered a right shoulder contusion midway through the second quarter. And after returning briefly during the third quarter, he left the game and did not return.
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and the NBA for The Oklahoman. Do you have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Register for the Thunder Sports Minute Newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoma journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
Thunder on the Trail Blazers
WARNING: 9 pm Wednesday at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon