Receiving the ball from Ajay Mitchell, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander calmly knocked down the outside bucket. The reigning MVP enjoyed the rare low-effort possession needed to get on the board. After two double-overtime classics, he was afforded a much-needed relaxed contest.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were in firm control in their 117-100 win over the Atlanta Hawks. It was a wire-to-wire victory that saw them lead by as many as 24 points. This played out similarly to most of their games last season when they set the NBA record for largest point differential.

Early on, it was the Chet Holmgren show. The seven-footer swished in outside bucket after outside bucket. He had 14 points in the opening frame as he bounced back. The Thunder had a 31-26 lead after the first quarter. A strong start was needed on the road.

The second quarter was much more competitive. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander started to get into a rhythm, but so did Trae Young. The Hawks’ offense found a flow with constant ball movement. They found plenty of corner looks to catch up on the scoreboard. The Thunder only had a 60-55 halftime lead.

And then we saw a classic third-quarter avalanche. The first of the season for OKC. The Thunder had a 39-25 scoring advantage in the frame. The defense limited Atlanta. Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander put the final touches on a 30-point performance before he sat out the fourth quarter.

With a 99-80 lead after the third quarter, the Thunder had everything under control. They relied on the end of their bench to put this one away. Both benches were cleared around halfway through the frame. The Atlanta crowd slowly filed out.

The Thunder shot 46% from the field and went 14-of-37 (37.8%) from 3. They shot 17-of-19 on free throws. They had 21 assists on 43 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander had an efficient 30 points in three frames. Holmgren scored a sizzling 31 points and was 6-of-8 from the outside. Mitchell had 14 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. Isaiah Hartenstein tallied a 14-point double-double.

Meanwhile, the Hawks shot 41% from the field and went 16-of-39 (41%) from 3. They shot 14-of-21 on free throws. They had 25 assists on 35 baskets. Six Hawks players scored double-digit points.

Young was limited to 15 points and 10 assists. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 17 points. Onyeka Okongwu had 11 points and 12 rebounds. Mouhamed Gueye totaled 11 points. Vit Krejci had 13 points and Asa Newell had 12 points off the bench.

This was a nice return to normalcy. The Thunder had quite the entertaining start to their season with two 2OT wins, but this was more in line with what everybody expected out of them. Gilgeous-Alexander cruised to another 30 points and Holmgren had a loud 31 points. They controlled the tempo and put the Hawks behind from the jump.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus

Taking on Alexander-Walker, Gilgeous-Alexander was determined to score on his cousin. A few dribble moves had him driving to the basket. Lowering his shoulder, he extended his arms out and easily lay it up despite several Atlanta defenders in the paint.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting, five assists and four rebounds. He shot 2-of-6 from 3 and went 4-of-4 on free throws. He also had a steal and a block. He only played 29 minutes before he sat out the fourth quarter.

A steal champion, Dyson Daniels had no answer for Gilgeous-Alexander. The reigning MVP made him look like his New Orleans Pelicans version of himself. This ho-hum 30-point outing in three quarters was a common theme all of last season. This was the first of this year.

After likely seeing all of the ‘free-throw merchant’ discourse in the last couple of days, Gilgeous-Alexander wanted to prove a point. He can get it done on the field, too. He walked to his spots within the perimeter and nailed several mid-range jumpers. His signature pull-up shot was butter.

This is exactly what the Thunder needed. You don’t want to tax Gilgeous-Alexander too much this early in the season. Two ultra-rare 2OT wins forced their hand. But this blowout win over the Hawks helped correct some of that with a stress-free performance.

Chet Holmgren: A-plus

Before you could even settle down, Holmgren already had a couple of outside buckets. Motivated by a poor performance in Indiana, he wanted to wash away the sour taste in his mouth. Fair to say he did that with one of his best scoring games in a while.

Holmgren finished with 31 points on 8-of-12 shooting, 12 rebounds and one assist. He shot 6-of-8 from 3 and went 9-of-10 on free throws. He also had one block and three steals.

Usually, Holmgren teases the Thunder with a hot start. A majority of his points happen in the first quarter. The rest of the game, he fades into the background as a scorer. Instead, he hunted his shot out all game. He had 14 points in the opening frame. The outside shot was as crisp as a McDonald’s Sprite.

After it looked like Holmgren hurt his hand on a block attempt, he returned with his thumb covered in black tape. That didn’t scare him off from looking for his shot. The scoring aggressiveness continued in the second half. This time, the seven-footer attacked the basket.

All the Hawks could do was foul Holmgren to slow him down. He enjoyed a busy night at the free-throw line. That helped him reach 30 points to complement his career high of six outside made shots. Scoring in different ways is the next step in his development. This is exactly what you hope to see more often.

Ajay Mitchell: A

Speaking of breaking out, Mitchell has looked like a guy who won’t give up his rotation spot. Credit him for taking advantage of the opportunity as the Thunder deal with several injuries. The 23-year-old has looked completely refined as a driver.

Mitchell finished with 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting, seven rebounds and seven assists. He shot 2-of-3 from 3. He also had two steals.

As the Thunder pulled away on the scoreboard, Mitchell stepped up as the complementary scorer next to Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren. He showed off his finesse around the basket with drives that finished with floaters. His feel combined with his added muscle has transformed him into somebody who can get their own bucket when needed.

The playmaking has also subtly improved. Mitchell has built up a two-man chemistry with Hartenstein. He’s also made the right kick-out passes to the perimeter when he’s deep into the paint. The Thunder have needed another ball-handler for the longest. It looks like he’ll be that guy.

Isaiah Hartenstein: B-plus

After a slow start, Hartenstein finally looked like the player from last season. The seven-footer gives the Thunder a traditional center to work with. That paid off with several alley-oops thrown his way for easy buckets. Too many times did the Hawks lose track of him.

Hartenstein finished with 14 points on 7-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds and two assists. He shot 0-of-1 from 3 and 0-of-1 on free throws. He also had two steals.

It’s looked clunky at times, but this was the best the Holmgren-Hartenstein frontcourt has looked. They provided a perfect blend of an inside-outside game. Holmgren was hot from the outside and Hartenstein was always a lob threat inside the paint.

Let’s see if they can build off this. They dominated in the minutes they played, as each was a plus-16. There’s no question that Hartenstein adds a lot with his rebounding and size, but there are other nuanced wrinkles in basketball that need to be ironed out between the two seven-footers.

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