OKLAHOMA CITY — Receiving MVP chants at the free-throw line, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored his 30th point in the waning seconds of the third quarter as he sat out the final frame.
Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, no funny business was involved in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 147-106 win over the Washington Wizards.
“We just want to be a team that generates rhythm shots and open shots. I thought we did that tonight. We did that last night, we’ve done that for much of the year,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “We’ve gotten more open 3’s than most teams in the league.”
The Thunder put up 41 points in the first quarter against one of the worst defensive teams in the league. OKC added to its lead with a 39-point second frame. At halftime, the Thunder led the Wizards, 80-57. It was the most points scored in the first half for OKC this season.
The 147 points in regulation is a season-high for the Thunder. The lowly Wizards continue to be in the race for the worst record in the league and have now lost 10 in a row.
The third quarter was much of the same story as the Thunder totaled 37 points to enter the final frame with an eye-popping 117 points and a 36-point lead.
Due to the lopsided score, the Thunder were afforded the luxury of resting their starters in the final frame. By the end of the period, OKC walked away with a 41-point win.
The Thunder shot an impressive 60% from the field and went 20-of-40 (50%) from 3. They dished out 30 assists on 55 baskets. Seven Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with a typical 30-point outing. He made easy work of the Wizards in his three quarters of work. Chet Holmgren also had one of his best-scoring games of the season, totaling 25 points and 10 rebounds.
“He’s just refining on the offensive end of the floor,” Daigneault said about Holmgren. “He’s shooting his catch-and-shoots with a lot of confidence right now, regardless of make or miss. He’s also getting his size into the game around the basket, especially against switches.”
Meanwhile, the lowly Wizards shot 39% from the field and went 9-of-38 (23.7%) from 3. They dished out 20 assists on 41 baskets. Five Wizards players scored double-digit points.
Jordan Poole had 21 points on 7-of-19 shooting, three assists and three rebounds. Corey Kispert totaled 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting and 3-of-7 from 3. Kyle Kuzma scored 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting.
The relatively low-stress win is exactly the type of outing OKC needed after its massive win over the LA Clippers on the previous night. The Thunder continue to rack up wins and are riding a four-game winning streak.
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.