Quick Takeaways From the OKC Thunder’s Back-to-back Win over the Hawks

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Atlanta Hawks 140-129 on Monday night at Paycom Center on the second night of a back-to-back. The Thunder needed to conquer a barrage of 25 made Hawks three-pointers in the back-and-forth win.

The win improves OKC’s record to 28-5, 16-1 at home.

The Thunder’s “big three” dominated in the victory. The trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams combined to score 83 points on the night.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points on 15-of-24 shooting. He added five rebounds, six assists and two steals to his totals.

Holmgren scored 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting. He tallied nine rebounds and three blocks as well.

Williams scored 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting, but had nine rebounds and seven assists to go along with it.

OKC trailed by 10 points midway through the second quarter, but multiple runs allowed it to win by double digits.

Here are three takeaways from the Thunder’s thrilling victory.

1. A Thunderous Response

The Hawks were on fire to start the night, blowing up to a double-digit advantage with just over six minutes remaining in the second quarter. Onyeka Okongwu was sensational to start, scoring 20 points in the game’s first 20 minutes.

A thunderous 12-2 run in just two minutes from Oklahoma City brought the game right back to a tie at 60. The Thunder, led by Ajay Mitchell and Williams, forced consistent turnovers to get easy looks in transition.

Mitchell ran the point guard role during the run, with his playmaking creating multiple good looks around the perimeter for OKC role players. Williams made strong cuts to the rim, either finishing strongly or getting to the free-throw line.

The overall team defense was stellar as well, putting a fiery Hawks offense to rest for a longer period of time.

The teams went back to trading buckets to end the period, but the Thunder were able to gain some control of the game back, turning a 10-point deficit into just four at the end of the quarter.

2. Third-quarter Deja Vu

Just like in OKC’s game the day before against Philadelphia, the third quarter was exceptional for the guys out of Bricktown. The Thunder opened the period on fire, knocking down tough buckets and creating open looks on the perimeter.

Oklahoma City went on a 28-8 run through the first five minutes of the period, turning a four-point deficit at halftime into a double-digit advantage. The Thunder won the quarter 43-29, holding a 113-103 lead going into the game’s final period.

The Thunder’s 113 points through the first three quarters were the team’s most in that category so far this season. The team was able to attack the rim at will, responding to Atlanta’s threes with a high number of two-point makes.

The reigning MVP Gilgeous-Alexander was untouchable in the period, scoring 15 of his 39 points. Holmgren was phenomenal as well, scoring nine of his 24 points and tallying two of his three blocked shots in the third-quarter.

OKC shot 61.5% from the floor in the period, scoring six points off four Atlanta turnovers.

Quarters like this has been a major part of the Thunder’s elite play this season.

3. Greatness From Gilgeous-Alexander

Gilgeous-Alexander resumed his charge for a repeat of winning the MVP award with another stellar performance against Atlanta. The Canadian guard halted the Hawks, scoring 39 points and adding five rebounds, six assists and two steals to his totals as well.

Gilgeous-Alexander was aggressive early, scoring 15 points in the first-quarter. He took the matchup against one of the league’s top defenders, Dyson Daniels, incredibly, getting to the rim and scoring at will.

He did most of his work in the restricted area, but knocked down multiple mid-range jumpers and two three-pointers as well.

Late in the fourth quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander turned into a primary playmaker, using the increased pressure sent his way to create open looks for his teammates, after scoring the entire night. That slight adjustment won the game for Oklahoma City.

Games like this have become normal for Gilgeous-Alexander, but he continues to impress.