After the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Milwaukee Bucks 121-105, center Isaiah Hartenstein discussed the impact of playing alongside Chet Holmgren in the starting lineup. The Thunder secured another double-digit victory on Sunday, inching them closer to the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers’ record of winning 50 games by 10+ points. Oklahoma City is at 43, while Hartenstein and Holmgren continue to build chemistry.
After the win, Hartenstein addressed the duo’s continuity on both ends of the floor.
“I’m not going to do it by myself, and I think we did a great job of playing team defense, and I think today you really saw how much that big lineup can really help,” Hartenstein said. “A lot of people focus on the offensive side, and I think we’ve made big leaps in that regard, playing together, but I also figuring out the defensive side. We’re learning every game. We’re getting better every game. I think [in] every game we’ve played, it looks better and better. Me and Chet talk a lot, and I think that helps a lot. He’s coming off my screens, finding me, and vice versa.”
For Hartenstein, his tandem with Holmgren gives Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault endless possibilities.
“Mark is such a great coach of adjusting during the game,” Hartenstein added. “So, I think, him having that weapon, especially when the playoffs come. When we have a smart coach like that, I think it gives him so many different options.”
They held Bucks center Brook Lopez to eight points on 3-of-8 attempts, including 0-for-3 from deep.
Draymond Green’s take on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP race
Amid Thunder’s big man tandem of Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP race, Oklahoma City improved to 56-12. Warriors forward Draymond Green addressed Gilgeous-Alexander’s race with Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, per the Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis.
“If Joker was having this year statistically and all that, if he was having this year and never won MVP, he undoubtedly would be MVP, but because people have grown accustomed to him averaging those types of numbers, you kind of get a bump down from that,” Green said on his podcast. “Now, in saying that, when you look who has won MVP over the years, I think it’s also very hard to deny Shai, and that’s where I think the voting system becomes a problem.
“The reality is it’s so opinionated. There’s no criteria, there’s none of these things. The reality is if you had a small committee, they’d probably make them Co-MVP,” Green concluded.
The Thunder will host the 76ers on Wednesday.
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