ATLANTA — Chet Holmgren wanted to just pop it back in.
That was his immediate reaction when he looked down at his right thumb late in the second quarter of OKC’s road game against Atlanta on Saturday. He’d hurt it while smacking the backboard in a failed attempt to block Mouhamed Gueye’s dunk.
And while Holmgren specializes in diagnosing defenses, not injuries, it didn’t take much to realize his thumb was dislocated.
“Obviously, my thumb wasn’t where it was supposed to be,” Holmgren said. “I see my thumb every day. It didn’t look like it normally does.”
OKC’s team doctors insisted on bringing Holmgren into a back room inside State Farm Arena for X-rays. And once he was cleared to play, he returned to being a handful on the court.
Holmgren led OKC (3-0) to a 117-100 win with a stacked stat line of 31 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and one block in 27 minutes. He went 8 for 12 from the field and tied for a career-high six made 3-pointers on eight tries.
“But yeah,” Holmgren casually said with a shrug. “It didn’t change my shot, so…”
That shot was working for Holmgren from the opening tipoff. The 7-footer scored 14 of OKC’s first 22 points, and he went 4 for 4 from deep during that stretch.
Atlanta then called a timeout. And when Holmgren returned to OKC’s bench, a staff member could be seen applying pressure to his lower back while he stood in the huddle.
It wasn’t because he’d been carrying the Thunder. It was because he was questionable entering Saturday with lower back soreness.
Holmgren could’ve easily sat out. He’d already put up a Luka Doncic with 77 total minutes played throughout OKC’s first two games of the season, which both went into double overtime.
But the lengthy forward, criticized by many for having an even lengthier injury history, showed his unbreakable competitive spirit.
“He’s always got that,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said of Holmgren’s gutsiness. “He’s always ready to go. Great competitor. … He came out tonight teeing up those shots and saw a couple go in. He had a great game flow tonight.”
That flow poured into the second half, which Holmgren started after his brief departure.
When a timid player would’ve pump faked, he let it fly from deep with confidence. When an easily-bruised big man would’ve shied away from contact, he handed out lumps with punishing paint finishes.
Holmgren is now averaging 24.7 points, 10 rebounds and 1.7 steals through OKC’s first three games. He’s shooting 56.1% from the field and 42.1% from distance.
It’s another hot start for Holmgren, who looked sharp through the first nine games of last season before he suffered a pelvic fracture during the 10th game against Golden State. And yet this early stretch of games feels different.
“He’s stronger, faster and more explosive,” Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of Holmgren. “He’s just getting more comfortable. With a guy with his natural feel, as the games go on, he’ll continue to grow and be better. We’ve just got to continue to ignite him as teammates.”
Holmgren was the one who ignited his teammates on Saturday. His competitive fire spread throughout the group, which outscored Atlanta 39-25 during the third quarter after only holding a five-point lead at halftime.
It only rained when the Thunder unleashed a downpour of 3-pointers. OKC shot a league-worst 26.4% from deep through its first two games, but it ended that drought with 14-for-37 shooting (37.8%).
And when Ajay Mitchell sank a corner triple in the final minute of the third quarter, a pumped-up Gilgeous-Alexander could be heard barking at his team.
Typical stuff from a bunch of dogs.
“We have a team full of fighters, warriors and guys who just love the game at the end of the day,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That tone is set every time we walk in the gym, whether it’s an off day, a playoff game or a regular-season game. We come in with joy, and we come in to compete every night. That’s just a tone set across the locker room.”
It’s also a tone OKC set before tipoff against Atlanta.
Holmgren fittingly did the honors with a message in the pregame huddle.
“I just said the harder we go, the less likely we have to play overtime tonight,” Holmgren said. “I’m just happy we were able to come together as a team and not have to go to overtime. … It’s great. We can get to the next city, and I can get in bed earlier.”
That next city is Dallas. The Thunder will finish its three-game road trip with a battle against the Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.