OKLAHOMA CITY — Left wide open on a scramble drill, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added to the late barrage with a calculated catch-and-shoot look. The outside bucket helped him cross the 30-point mark as he enjoyed another rested fourth quarter. It took longer than needed, but OKC pulled away late.

The Oklahoma City Thunder collected a 127-108 win over the Washington Wizards. After playing with their food, the short-handed NBA champion put away the rebuilding situation.

The final score might suggest the Thunder were in firm control for the entire night, but don’t let it fool you. For the first three quarters, the Wizards kept it respectable and hovered around a 10-point deficit. That’s all you can really ask for from their side of things.

Points came quickly. The Thunder had a 28-20 lead after the first quarter. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a couple of and-one opportunities after a free-throw drought. The second frame saw both teams go back and forth. Isaiah Joe’s outside shooting was missed. Bilal Coulibaly became Washington’s top scorer.

The Thunder entered halftime with a 59-49 lead. Like the theme for most of the season — a decent advantage, but could probably be a little bit more if they enjoyed better shooting luck. Nonetheless, OKC was at a good spot to get this gimme win.

Instead, the Wizards got back into it. The Thunder couldn’t buy an outside make. Each missed attempt caused louder groans from the OKC crowd. After Marvin Bagley III caught an alley-oop to cut OKC’s lead to 83-81 with under two minutes left in the third frame, nervousness filled the air.

Then the Thunder finally enjoyed some positive regression from deep. A handful of outside makes tallied 33 points in the third quarter. They had a 92-84 lead. That score would suggest another much-needed closeout job by Gilgeous-Alexander. Instead, the reigning MVP surprisingly sat out the rest of the game.

The Thunder bench lineup took care of business. Aaron Wiggins threw it up to Isaiah Hartenstein for the alley-oop. That put OKC up 101-86 with eight minutes left. They eventually led by as many as 24 points. Both teams slowly cleared their benches. OKC had 35 points in the fourth frame to pretty up the final score.

The Thunder shot 45% from the field and went 16-of-49 (32.7%) from 3. They shot 23-of-28 on free throws. They had 29 assists on 44 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 31 points in three quarters. Ajay Mitchell and Joe each had 20 points. Hartenstein finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Cason Wallace had 12 points, five rebounds and four steals.

Meanwhile, the Wizards shot 45% from the field and went 17-of-40 (42.5%) from 3. They shot 15-of-17 on free throws. They had 25 assists on 38 baskets. Five Wizards players scored double-digit points.

CJ McCollum scored 19 points. Coulibaly finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Alex Sarr had 14 points and eight rebounds. Kyshawn George tallied 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Tre Johnson had 10 points off the bench.

It took a little longer than usual, but the Thunder eventually pulled away. Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t need to jam on the speed pedal against a bottom-feeder. It was positive to see Mitchell and Joe lead the bench lineup to close this one out. Credit the Wizards, they kept it entertaining for the first three quarters but their youth and lack of talent showed late in the second half.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus

Four offensive rebounds later, Gilgeous-Alexander finally rewarded his teammates’ effort. Matched up against Alex Sarr, he danced with the seven-footer. His shiftness had him gingerly sway left and right. Until the reigning MVP swished in a baseline jumper.

Stealing Halloween candy from a kid, Gilgeous-Alexander had his fun. He finished with 31 points on 11-of-20 shooting, seven assists and three rebounds. He shot 3-of-6 from 3 and went 6-of-6 on free throws. He also had one block.

Against the Wizards, Gilgeous-Alexander had it going. This is the type of opponent where you fluff up your stats. His mid-range jumper was pure. No matter who Washington put on him, he managed to get to his spots and pull up. He was in a groove from the jump.

Gilgeous-Alexander only needed three quarters to conduct his damage. That wasn’t the plan when he checked out. It looked like the Wizards were going to force the Thunder to earn a win, but the bench pulled away. To the point that he sat out the final frame. That’s exactly what you want to see happen more often, ala last season’s historic domination.

Isaiah Joe: A-plus

Running towards the corner, Joe shuffled his feet a couple of more steps. He received Mitchell’s pass and calmly knocked down his first outside bucket of the season. He was a much-needed boost from the NBA’s worst outside shooting team.

Joe finished with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, six rebounds and one assist. He shot 5-of-9 from 3 and went 1-of-2 on free throws. He also had a steal.

After Joe missed the first five games with a knee contusion, he made up for lost time. With Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren out, he stepped up to be tied for OKC’s second-leading scorer. It didn’t take him long to knock off any rust from his absence.

The Thunder kept feeding him the ball from the outside. Joe’s outside shot was desperately missed. He can do it in a variety of ways, from movement looks to curls to catch-and-shoots. The offense looked crisp with his return. He helped bury the Wizards in the fourth quarter.

Say what you want to say about Joe’s playoff drop, but he’s a regular-season machine. You need consistent role players like this to complete the NBA’s marathon. He’s the perfect player to receive the kick-out passes from a team filled with drive-heavy scorers.

Ajay Mitchell: B-plus

Breaking up the passing lane, Mitchell ran to create his own steal-and-score. As McCollum kept up, an improv drive to the basket finished with a funky floater that rattled in. He salvaged a bad outing with a strong finish to put the final touches.

Mitchell finished with 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting, two assists and one rebound. He shot 2-of-7 from 3. He shot 6-of-6 on free throws. He also had two steals.

One of Mitchell’s better qualities is his confidence. Even when things don’t start right, he continues to attack. You don’t see that much from second-year players. This performance exemplifies that. There was no shooter’s luck involved, as most of his misses rimmed out. But he kept at it.

Finally, Mitchell’s strong finish turned this into another positive. He scored nine points in the final frame. The second unit stiff-armed the Wizards from any late comeback hopes with Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench. The drives to the basket kept happening. It resulted in a few free-throw trips.

Arguably, the biggest story through OKC’s first six games has been Mitchell. He’s been a consistent double-digit scorer and has made up for their All-NBA-esque absences. It’ll be interesting to see how he handles his role being downsized once they get healthier, but there’s no doubt he’s a rotation fixture now.

Isaiah Hartenstein: A

Helping set a double screen with Alex Caruso, Hartenstein rolled to the basket one last time. This time, his partner was Mitchell. The seven-footer flew off the floor and caught another alley-oop. That’s been a go-to play for OKC this season. Hard to blame them, either. It’s had a riveting success rate.

Hartenstein finished with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, eight rebounds and five assists. He shot 3-of-4 on free throws. He also had two steals.

It’s been a hot three-game stretch for Hartenstein. The Thunder went to him early and often. They’ve slowly figured out how to take advantage of his wide catch radius on pick-and-roll situations. On the glass, he’s been a monster. OKC dominated the possession battle again. His collection of misses helped.

The Thunder have shown they can survive Holmgren’s absence. Hartenstein is the biggest reason for that luxury. He provides high-end starter production that doesn’t need much time to build a rapport with OKC’s ball-handlers. You have to love what he’s done.

Cason Wallace: B

Knocking the ball out of Corey Kispert’s possession, only a foul could stop Wallace’s transition jam. While the offense has been a question mark, the defense speaks for itself. There’s a reason why he remains a starter despite being ice-cold from deep.

Wallace finished with 12 points on 3-of-7 shooting, five rebounds and three assists. He shot 2-of-4 from 3 and went 4-of-4 on free throws. He also had four steals and two blocks.

Just a statsheet-stuffing performance. The four steals were second nature to Wallace. He just punched the ball out of the opposition’s hands. Or simply rip it away from them. The pure talent he’s shown on that end of the floor has been caused by some of the NBA’s best hands since Kawhi Leonard.

And then the second half saw Wallace get into a groove. He finally saw a couple of outside jumpers fall. That’s been a struggle for him. Since really, his rookie season, when he shot above 40% from deep. To the point that his reliability from deep has deteriorated. That said, maybe he can get going from this do-it-all game.

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