Picking up the loose ball, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander accelerated down the court before he muscled his way for the easy transition layup. The steal-to-score sequence grew familiar for OKC on Friday as this latest basket was the final nail in the coffin.
The Oklahoma City Thunder collected a 123-103 win over the Toronto Raptors. Even though it was a 20-point margin, this wasn’t a traditional blowout contest.
“The group to start the second quarter really amped the game up physically,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “On the defensive end, we strung together a lot of stops at the beginning of that period to get ourselves a lead, get ourselves out on the break.”
The Raptors held an early 9-3 lead less than two minutes into the contest. They eventually created a 20-9 advantage before the Thunder closed the gap and left the first quarter in a 35-28 hole. OKC flipped the switch and started the second frame on a 21-4 run to build a double-digit lead.
A 35-point second quarter by the Thunder helped them enter halftime holding a 63-56 lead. Coming out of the break, OKC rattled off seven straight points to create a 14-point advantage, which forced Toronto to call an early timeout.
The Raptors responded with six consecutive points to make it to an eight-point deficit. This forced OKC to call an early timeout of its own with a little over nine minutes left in the third frame. It scored 12 straight points to build an 84-64 lead with five minutes left in the period. After three quarters, the Thunder had an 89-78 lead.
The Raptors cut it to six points in the early stages of the fourth quarter, but a 24-9 run by the Thunder that spanned nearly six minutes ballooned their lead from six points to an overwhelming 21 points with two minutes to spare.
After a competitive first three quarters, the Thunder utilized a 34-point fourth quarter to turn this into a lopsided score in the last few minutes. The final score is a bit deceiving as it was a strong showing for a short-handed Raptors reminiscent of the early 2020s Thunder.
The Thunder shot 51% from the field and went 12-of-32 (37.5%) from 3. They dished out 27 assists on 48 baskets. Seven Thunder players scored double-digit points, with a pair of 20-point scorers leading the way.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 23 points and eight assists. Jalen Williams had 20 points and three steals. Chet Holmgren collected an 18-point and 10-rebound double-double.
Meanwhile, the Raptors — without notable players like Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley and Gary Trent Jr. — shot 53% from the field and went 11-of-30 (36.7%) from 3. They had 34 assists on 40 baskets. Six Raptors players scored double-digit points.
Gradey Dick finished with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting and went 4-of-7 from 3. Kelly Olynyk had 16 points, six rebounds and five assists. Ochai Agbaji tallied 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Ball security was the biggest difference in this contest. Both squads struggled to avoid sloppy turnovers. OKC finished with 15 and Toronto finished with a season-high 27. The Thunder outscored the Raptors, 37-16, in points off turnovers. OKC stole the ball 17 times, the third-most amount in an NBA game this season.
“We did enough to win,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We weren’t the best version of ourselves tonight. We’re going to look in the mirror and try to figure out how we can do that more often.”
Even though they’ve lost nine in a row, this was a respectable outing for the short-handed Raptors. The Thunder couldn’t create serious distance on the scoreboard until late in the second half. For OKC, it managed to keep pace for the first seed with an expected win and extend its win streak to four.
“It wasn’t our best 48-minute effort in totality,” Daigneault said. “But the good news is when we needed to respond, we were tapping into the right stuff — which was defense, physicality, effort — and we did that multiple times in the game to extend some leads.”
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: B
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It was an off night for Gilgeous-Alexander as he returned to his home country for his annual NBA game in Toronto.
In 33 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander had 23 points on 9-of-20 shooting, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals. He shot 1-of-5 from 3 and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. His six turnovers were the most on OKC.
The 25-year-old looked sluggish throughout the contest, a surprise considering the Raptors don’t roster the personnel to slow him down. The outside shot didn’t fall and the mid-range shot produced so-so results.
It was a rare night where Gilgeous-Alexande failed to record 30 points. An uncharacteristic result considering he recently set the Thunder record for most 30-plus point outings in a single season.
“It’s always fun,” Gilgeous-Alexander said about playing in Toronto. “I grew up coming to games here, watching Chris Bosh and a bunch of NBA legends play in this building. It’s always a surreal moment, and to have my friends and family in the crowd is even more special.”
Jalen Williams: B-plus
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Going left, Williams suddenly spun right and extended his arm to lay in the ball for the fourth-quarter basket. It was a busy night inside of the paint for the second-year wing.
In 27 minutes, Williams had 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting, three assists, three rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Six of his baskets were near the rim as he finessed his way to the basket.
After being held scoreless in the first quarter, Williams totaled eight points in the second frame. He carried that momentum after the break for a strong second half that featured 12 points.
Helping create an eight-point lead, Williams checked out midway through the final frame and rested the final six minutes as OKC pulled away on the scoreboard.
“The thing that makes him really effective is what he does defensively in that unit as well,” Daigneault said about Williams. “He just gives so much flexibility as to who you put out there in the court with him. Because not only can he create and kinda run that thing with the ball in his hands, but he also can take on a primary matchup at the same time on the defensive end of the floor.
“It just unlocks the lineup versatility that we can build around that.”
Chet Holmgren: B-plus
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After a five-dunk night against the Utah Jazz, Holmgren matched his total in Toronto. The seven-foot rookie has discovered a second wind during this last month of the season as an offensive threat.
In 27 minutes, Holmgren had 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds and two steals. He shot 2-of-4 from 3 and was a game-high plus-14.
“The last two nights, teams have been high in the pick-and-roll coverage,” Gilgeous-Alexander said about Holmgren’s 10 dunks the last two games. “But Chet’s been amazing in the pocket. So skilled. It’s just an example of the team throwing something at us and us being able to attack it.”
A strong first half saw Holmgren score 12 points. OKC continues to utilize the 21-year-old as a rolling center who can finish plays at the basket through traffic. The Thunder hopes he can continue to produce similar numbers the rest of the way.
“It’s an NBA game with NBA players,” Holmgren said about the tight contest. “They’re out there for a reason. They have all the motivation in the world to go out there and do what they do. We knew they were going to bring it tonight, so we had to do the same.”
Kenrich Williams: B-plus
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It was a productive night from the Thunder bench with 42 points. Williams led the way with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, five rebounds, four steals and two assists in 23 minutes.
This was a much-needed performance for Williams, who’s sporadically played over the last six weeks. This was his first game with 20-plus minutes since early February — funny enough, against the Raptors too.
Williams had a pair of steals that led to transition buckets for OKC, including Gilgeous-Alexander’s dagger. He also made a 3-pointer to give the Thunder a 14-point lead with a little over five minutes left.
The Thunder closed this contest with Williams as part of their closing lineup. He totaled eight minutes in the fourth quarter to help push OKC past Toronto.
“He’s given us great stuff,” Daigneault said about Williams. “Those small units have been really effective with him all season… That continues to be the case. He gives great energy.”
Holmgren added: “Kenny Hustle is the ultimate pro. Ultimate competitor. He’s ready when his name is called.”
