In their first game since losing franchise center Chet Holmgren for at least the next 8-10 weeks, the Oklahoma City Thunder managed to fend off the LA Clippers in a late game thriller.

With a career-making performance from MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, the Clippers were unable to adequately match that performance. What the Thunder lacked in size, they made up for with their small-ball lineup, which might have boosted his production.

The starting lineup itself delivered strong performances individually, especially in the points and efficiency columns. The recovery certainly wasn’t easy throughout the evening, but they managed to keep their lead high enough to finish on top.

Things may get tougher the longer Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein are missing, but for now, Oklahoma City is still getting the job done through other departments that are excelling.

Here are three takeaways from the 134-128 win:

Yes, you heard right. Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 45 points last night.

The stat line of three rebounds, nine assists, five steals and two blocks also made him the only player in league history to ever achieve this. He shot 13-of-21 from the field, 4-of-8 from behind the arc and 15-of-16 from the free-throw line.

Gilgeous-Alexander was looking for one of these types of performances, struggling at times with scoring and shot selection. This time, everything clicked for him, flourishing against the LA defense and getting his team back into the win column.

In the MVP race, this performance puts him back at the top. If the Thunder can remain No. 1 in the Western Conference despite losing Holmgren, the numbers Gilgeous-Alexander has consistently put up over the past few seasons should be just enough.

With Holmgren out for a significant portion of the time, Oklahoma City will go all small ball in the coming weeks.

The tallest player-coach Mark Daigneault inserted into the starting lineup was Gilgeous-Alexander at 6-foot-1, which would normally spell doom for most teams. But thanks to the Thunder having such skilled perimeter defenders, they can make it work.

Clippers center Ivica Zubac dropped 22 points and 14 rebounds on 9-of-12 shooting, dominating the glass and scoring buckets in the paint with ease. However, if he wasn’t in the game, Oklahoma City could gain some momentum and not have such a difference in the rebounding battle.

With Hartenstein also missing for an extended period of time, the Thunder will play this way much of the time unless another center is added via trade or free agency. It excels at this more than most other teams, and the distance it gains creates a group with high-level shooting.

So far, it hasn’t stopped Oklahoma City from being successful.

With circumstances taking center stage, the question becomes: should the Thunder make changes to its roster to help until Hartenstein returns?

Whether or not it will hold back a significant amount of money in the coming weeks is up for debate, but at least against some of its opponents, the lack of skilled rebounders could be an easy area to exploit. As aggressive as a Jalen Williams or Alex Caruso can be on the glass, big centers will usually win that.

The Thunder could jump in early and try to make a trade for a center to tie it up until reinforcements arrive, such as Steven Adams – historically a fan favorite. He would obviously bring recovery, and he knows the system Daigneault started implementing while he was here. However, that could almost be too proactive.

A performance like Gilgeous-Alexander’s won’t always happen, so Oklahoma City can’t depend on opponents getting by. The next few weeks could look tough, especially with a tough calendar, but if it can get through with a solid enough record, we should be just fine.

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