OKLAHOMA CITY — Dancing with Will Richard, Ajay Mitchell dribbled side by side. Suddenly jamming on his brakes, he let off a floater as he fell to the ground. The ball circled the cylinder before it gently fell through for the and-one layup. Quite the poetic way to end the third quarter of pure domination.

Everything went their way in the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s 126-102 win over the Golden State Warriors. Even though the latter has aged out of being an undisputed contender, it was quite the statement victory for the former.

Early on, it looked like a classic was in the making. Stephen Curry was able to shake off Cason Wallace for a few buckets. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander answered back on the other end. Both are the face of point guards in their respective eras. But a hilarious ending to the first quarter ruined any momentum.

On a desperate look, Curry fouled Isaiah Joe on an outside attempt. To add insult to injury, it was upgraded to a flagrant foul. The first of the two-time MVP winner’s career, actually. And to pour a pound of salt on top of the wound, a previous outside bucket by Moses Moody was cut to just a two-point bucket.

The Thunder had a 34-25 lead after the first quarter. That momentum rolled over in the second frame. As Gilgeous-Alexander rested, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein took apart the Warriors’ defense. By the time the reigning MVP checked in, he wasn’t asked to carry the scoring load. Instead, he went into his playmaking bag.

Gilgeous-Alexander found Jaylin Williams for an outside bucket. That pushed OKC’s lead to 54-38 with a little over five minutes left. Draymond Green picked up a technical foul, with likely hopes to fire up his team before this became a blowout. Those efforts went to vain. The Thunder scored 29 points in the second frame and entered halftime with a 63-44 lead.

It was a classic OKC game that it’s normalized the last one-plus seasons. They’re up big at halftime. This one was about over. To show how out of synch the Warriors were, they were hit with a delay-of-game technical foul before the second half even started.

The third quarter turned into a highlight fest. The Thunder destroyed Golden State’s defense. Curry couldn’t get open anymore and played with foul trouble. Holmgren and Hartenstein took turns getting easy dunks. Gilgeous-Alexander was pass-happy and still almost found his way to 30 points.

The Thunder scored 44 points in the third quarter. They had a 107-72 lead over the Warriors. They led by as many as 36 points. It was another short night for Gilgeous-Alexander as he rested the final frame.

Both teams cleared their benches as OKC only scored 19 points in the final period. The Thunder crowd slowly fizzled out. Even though their rivalry peaked a decade ago around Kevin Durant, it’s still must-watch TV when these teams clash.

The Thunder shot 51% from the field and went 16-of-36 (44.4%) from 3. They shot 26-of-31 on free throws. They had 29 assists on 42 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 28 points and 11 assists. Holmgren had 23 points and 11 rebounds. Mitchell scored 17 points. Joe had 18 points and Williams had 12 points off the bench.

Meanwhile, the Warriors shot 45% from the field and went 13-of-35 (37.1%) from 3. They shot 23-of-29 on free throws. They had 23 assists on 33 baskets. Six Warriors players scored double-digit points.

Curry was limited to 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting. Jimmy Butler was quiet with 12 points and three rebounds. Jonathan Kuminga had 13 points and four assists. Brandin Podziemski and Moody each scored 10 points. Pat Spencer had 12 points.

Talk about a signature win. Of course, when you’re the reigning NBA champion, you don’t need to stack your resume. You’ve been there and done that. But still, seeing the Thunder completely dismantle the Warriors was quite the sight to behold. Most view them as a team that could scare them in the playoffs. But this matchup shows that both teams are incredibly far from each other.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus

Worrying about Williams, Buddy Hield committed the basketball sin of not fully paying attention to Gilgeous-Alexander. He saw a wide-open lane to the basket as he passed halfcourt. He quickly drove to the basket before he threw a one-handed fastball pass out to Williams for the open outside look.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 28 points on 9-of-19 shooting, 11 assists and five rebounds. He shot 3-of-6 from 3 and went 7-of-8 on free throws. He also had three steals and one block.

Usually taking a laidback approach to start, Gilgeous-Alexander was out for blood from the jump. When Curry made one circus outside shot, the reigning MVP immediately answered on the other end with a stepback look. These are the type of games he gets up for. Against a pedigree-rich Golden State squad that dominated the NBA in the 2010s, similar to how OKC is right now in the 2020s.

Gilgeous-Alexander had 15 points at halftime. The Thunder were on the cusp of blowing it open. The Warriors couldn’t do anything to stop him. He got to his spots pretty easily in the mid-range. The usual drive-heavy scorer didn’t need to tax his legs too much on the front end of his prestigious back-to-back.

There’s been a nuanced leap in Gilgeous-Alexander’s playmaking this season. While the box score numbers will never reflect it, he’s leveraged the attention he demands to open looks for his teammates. This was probably the best tangible example yet that anybody can pick up on.

Gilgeous-Alexander found Holmgren and Hartenstein for easy looks deep inside the paint. When he sprayed the ball out to the perimeter, it resulted in open looks. He toyed with Golden State’s defense all night. And only needed three quarters to do so.

Chet Holmgren: A-plus

Avoiding the charge attempt, Podziemski had Holmgren outside of the restricted area. The seven-footer picked up his dribble before he changed course to a textbook turnaround fadeaway jumper that swished in. His last perfect make in a game filled with them.

Holmgren finished with 23 points on 9-of-9 shooting, 11 rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-2 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws. He also had one block.

One year and one day ago against this same squad, Holmgren sustained a season-altering hip fracture. With a chance of redemption, the 23-year-old showed why most folks have penciled him in as OKC’s inevitable second All-Star player alongside Gilgeous-Alexander.

This was the most confident Holmgren has looked all season as a go-to scorer. The Warriors couldn’t contain him in the interior. He received plenty of easy alley-oops from his teammates. That’s slowly become a staple in OKC’s offense. Not necessarily to the ‘Lob City’ extent, but featured in a healthy amount of possessions.

Holmgren also showed off his mid-range game. That was something he previously wasn’t able to do as the center. But playing mostly power forward this season, that area of the court has been unlocked for him. A couple of outside makes that had plenty of arc exemplified just how much of a groove he was in against a team he’s circled on his calendar.

Holmgren can have peaks and valleys on that side of the ball. Too often can he go invincible. But these outings against noteworthy opponents show that he can step up when needed. The Warriors may no longer be the machine they once were, but they’re still a team that you have to earn a win against.

Ajay Mitchell: A

Running the bench lineup, Mitchell found the switch he wanted. Against Quinten Post, he lowered his shoulders and went straight at him. He flung up a daring floater as he slid across the floor. Before he got up, he had to see his shot attempt slowly rattle into the basket. Now that’s touch.

Mitchell finished with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, three rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-4 from 3 and went 3-of-4 on free throws. He also had one steal and block.

As Gilgeous-Alexander took a backseat, he let Mitchell drive the offense. It resulted in another no-nonsense productive performance. He continued to be a straight-line driver to the basket. Regardless of his shots made or missed. But at this point, his finesse around the rim has given him enough margin of error to go head-first at the teeth of the defense.

Mitchell continues to be in a groove. He’s scored double-digit points every game this season. Just unreal production from a 23-year-old whose rookie campaign was ruined with a toe injury. To get this type of developmental success are the type of roster moves that help sustain a long-term contender.

Juggling injuries, the Thunder have really found something with this starting backcourt. Gilgeous-Alexander and Mitchell complement each other well. Both can drive to the basket and kick out. They can also play off-ball and get open looks. It’s an intriguing duo whose sample size continues to grow.

Isaiah Joe: B

Here’s somebody else who has one-upped their career season from last year. Joe has helped the Thunder get their outside shooting back on track after an ugly start. And in typical fashion, he was able to pretty up his stats and keep the Warriors far away on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter.

Joe finished with 18 points on 4-of-11 shooting, one rebound and one assist. He shot 3-of-9 from 3 and went 7-of-7 on free throws.

No matter who’s out, a few players always step up for the Thunder. Joe was one of them in their blowout win over the Warriors. That’s the luxury of having the NBA’s deepest bench. He provides a jolt of offense when he checks in and makes Gilgeous-Alexander’s resting minutes not only stomachable, but also a winning formula on its own.

There’s a reason why Joe is always a plus-minus darling. His outside shooting speaks for itself. But his decent defense has helped him stay on the floor. Usually, players of his archetype get played off the floor on that end. But being surrounded by plenty of talented and savvy defenders has avoided that stigma.

Cason Wallace: B

Scoring a quick seven points, it felt like Wallace was in for a long night. Curry’s endless battery resulted in a couple of easy layups and an outside make within the first five minutes. It felt like we were staring down the barrel of a vintage performance by him where he scores 30-plus on like 10 makes from deep.

Instead, Wallace shut off the faucet after that. He finished with three points on 1-of-5 shooting, two assists and one rebound. He shot 1-of-3 from 3.

But what he did on offense isn’t why Wallace is included here. Instead, he completely shut down Curry. He may no longer be a unanimous MVP, but he’s still one of the best scorers in the league. But you wouldn’t have been able to tell in this one, as a night filled with lowlights featured five fouls and his first career flagrant.

Wallace completely covered Curry like a blanket. The Thunder compared him to Ed Reed, but he looked like prime Jalen Ramsey in this one. He went the Lu Dort route and matched possession for possession with the two-time MVP winner. The plan worked as he stuck with him despite constant movement and screens.

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