Thunder win chippy opener vs. Spurs, back Chet Holmgren - ESPN

SAN ANTONIO — The scrap early in the second quarter of Tuesday night's season opener offered some symbolism for Chet Holmgren and his Oklahoma City Thunder teammates.

Holmgren landed with a thud. As he got back to his feet, his teammates had his back.

That's how Holmgren's offseason went after his meek exit against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals, which ended with a four-point, four-rebound dud from the All-NBA power forward/center in a Game 7 home loss. Holmgren opened this season with a strong performance in a 116-104 win over the Spurs, recording 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks and serving as the primary defender against Wembanyama, who struggled offensively, finishing 1-of-13 from the floor.

«Chet is an All-NBA talent on both ends of the floor,» said Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 32 points. «When he's himself, your team is better. It's as simple as that. When he's aggressive, when he's confident, when he's out there playing his game, he makes your basketball team better. It's no coincidence: He played better; we had a good night tonight. The box score doesn't show everything he does out there. He changes everything for us.»

Holmgren's support from his teammates was displayed by their reaction to a flagrant foul 1 by Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox that left the lanky 7-footer sprawled on the floor in the middle of the paint. The other Thunder players on the floor converged to confront Fox. Four technical fouls were assessed after a review — one on Wembanyama and one to each Williams on Oklahoma City's roster (Jaylin, Jalen and Kenrich).

«I'm going to get up and keep hooping, but I appreciate my teammates having my back,» Holmgren said. «I'm not