OKLAHOMA CITY — Walking over to the scorer’s table, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had to do something that hadn’t been asked of him for most of the season. For the first time in what’s felt like forever, the reigning MVP wasn’t given a short shift. He was asked to play the fourth quarter.

The Oklahoma City Thunder survived the Sacramento Kings in a 113-99 win. While on paper this is a lopsided matchup, a third contest within the month between these teams has helped them become more familiar with each other.

The first quarter saw both teams go back and forth. While Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren had some easy looks, Dennis Schroder played like somebody who wants his starting spot back. The Thunder had a 27-25 lead after the first frame.

The Thunder created a little bit more wiggle room, but the Kings were always there. Schroder dove for a loose ball that had him jump over the scorer’s table and land among the fans. Sam Presti tapped his back to make sure he was good. Sacramento put up its best fight yet against OKC.

The Thunder scored 31 points in the second frame. They entered halftime with a modest 58-50 lead over the Kings. Zach LaVine’s halfcourt heave rattled in, but a review confirmed it didn’t count.

To downsize with Sacramento’s guard-heavy lineup, the Thunder went with Alex Caruso over Isaiah Hartenstein to start the second half. The adjustment worked. Caruso grabbed his miss and swung it out to Holmgren for the much-needed outside make. Just like that, OKC was up by double-digit points.

And then the Kings slowly got back into it. A string of possessions that resulted in circus turnovers helped with that cause. Malik Monk got hot from the outside. Down to a single-digit lead, Gilgeous-Alexander helped the Thunder finish strong. They scored 25 points in the third frame and had an 83-69 lead.

Teetering on whether the score justified ruining Gilgeous-Alexander’s ‘no fourth quarter’ narrative, the Kings kept it close enough to warrant his return to the court. That’s about a moral victory. The Thunder didn’t need much out of him. Instead, Lu Dort got hot and hit some timely outside buckets.

The Thunder led by as many as 18 points. Aside from an injury scare by Cason Wallace, everything went their way. Fouled on an outside shot, Gilgeous-Alexander sealed it at the free-throw line. He was rained in the loudest ‘MVP’ chants yet this season. Expect those only to grow louder. They matched the Kings with 30 points apiece in the final frame.

The Thunder shot 47% from the field and went 10-of-38 (26.3%) from 3. They shot 21-of-23 on free throws. They had 22 assists on 41 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 33 points and eight rebounds. Holmgren had 21 points and seven rebounds. Dort scored 14 points with four outside makes. Wallace had 12 points. Ajay Mitchell tallied 13 points and six assists.

Meanwhile, the Kings shot 44% from the field and went 8-of-28 (28.6%) from 3. They shot 15-of-23 on free throws. They had 21 assists on 38 baskets. Four Kings players scored double-digit points.

Schroder had 21 points and five rebounds. DeRozan finished with 17 points and five assists. Monk scored 16 points. Precious Achiuwa tallied 15 points and nine rebounds. Russell Westbrook had seven points, 11 rebounds and six assists in possibly his last NBA game at OKC.

It sounds spoiled to say this, but this wasn’t the best of wins for the Thunder. Bad ball security and ice-cold outside shooting were only masked by an equally bad performance from the Kings. Against a better opponent, the lackadaisical approach might’ve bitten them on their record.

But oh well, that’s part of the ebbs and flows of the regular season. You won’t look your best every night. Even for a team that most people pencil in with 70 wins this year. The Thunder did enough to stiff-arm the Kings on the scoreboard and never flirted with danger.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-minus

Calmly dribbling the ball, Gilgeous-Alexander had his eyes set on Keon Ellis. Matched up one-on-one, a standard pull-up outside jumper transformed to three free-throw attempts. Ellis had to respect his jumper. As he becomes more of an outside threat, that makes the calculus of defending the reigning MVP unsolvable.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 33 points on 12-of-24 shooting, eight rebounds and three assists. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 8-of-10 on free throws. He also had two steals.

Nobody on the Kings could slow down Gilgeous-Alexander. That’s what happens when most of your backcourt is filled with 30-plus-year-old players. Per usual. But what wasn’t per usual was his jumper not being automatic. It was another efficient performance where he earned most of his buckets by slicing through Sacramento’s defense.

Without Domantas Sabonis, the Kings had zero rim protection. That led to plenty of wide-open lanes to the basket. That also had Gilgeous-Alexander drive head-first for a busy night at the free-throw line. And while he was asked to play in the fourth quarter, he wasn’t asked to put on his Superman cape.

The Thunder didn’t need much out of Gilgeous-Alexander. Everybody else helped maintain a double-digit balloon lead. To the point that they probably could’ve closed it without him. That said, he was easily the best player on the floor. That happens most nights, actually.

Chet Holmgren: A

Setting the ghost screen for Mitchell, Holmgren’s short roll to the basket resulted in an easy score. He didn’t need to jump off the floor to catch his alley-oop attempt and throw it down in traffic. The seven-footer has added to his scoring groove.

Holmgren finished with 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting, seven rebounds and one assist. He shot 1-of-5 from 3. He also had three blocks and one steal.

Last time these teams met, it was Isaiah Hartenstein who feasted. This time, it was Holmgren’s turn. He had a busy night around the rim. Plenty of dunks were served to him on a silver platter. The efficient scorer didn’t need to go far away from the basket to get most of his buckets.

Throwing in a wrinkle to their usual double-big lineup, the Thunder went away from that in the second half. Caruso replaced Hartenstein. That allowed Holmgren to play center for really the first time this season. Being moved up a spot among the five positions has been an adjustment. But he’s grown to love it as it opens up more areas on the court for him to score.

But back at the center, that’s Holmgren’s meat and potatoes. Especially on defense. It didn’t take long for him to rack up blocks. The rim protector was at his more natural spot of hovering around the paint. He scared off several Kings players from driving to the basket. Those who dared were swatted away.

Holmgren has been OKC’s second-best player this season. He’s likely on his way to being a first-time All-Star. But you saw flashes of what more he can be when he’s allowed to play his more natural center position. That’s scary to think about for the rest of the NBA.

Lu Dort: B-plus

Receiving Caruso’s pass, Dort didn’t hesitate for a single second. Near the ‘Paycom Center’ logo, he knocked down his last outside jumper in a fourth-quarter barrage. As the OKC crowd synchronized in its signature ‘Luuu!’ chant when he starts his shooting motion, it’s a familiar scene that hasn’t happened a lot this season.

Dort finished with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, four rebounds and one assist. He shot 4-of-8 from 3. He also had one steal and one block.

You never have to worry about Dort being shy. He’s always willing to let it fly from deep. That has its ups and downs. But when the Kings flirted with a mini-run, he extinguished their hopes. He scored 11 of his 14 points in the final frame. He had three outside makes to hype up OKC and secure the win.

On the other end, none of Sacramento’s future Hall-of-Fame players went off for a monstrous scoring performance. They all kinda had duds. Credit Dort for helping with that, as the Thunder have some of the best perimeter defenders in the league.

This was a good get-right game for Dort. That’s two in a row. You know what that’s called? Building a rhythm. He’s always been a streaky outside shooter. Now you’re seeing the hot side of that after an ice-cold start from deep to start the season.

Ajay Mitchell: B

In the final seconds of the first half, Mitchell drove right into Sacramento’s defense. It didn’t take much effort to get by LaVine. He then went up-and-under to score past Schroder and DeRozan. The banked layup helped the Thunder enter halftime with positive vibes.

Mitchell finished with 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting, six assists and one rebound. He shot 0-of-3 from 3 and went 5-of-5 on free throws. He also had two steals and a block.

After Mitchell-Mania took over the NBA world, the opposing teams have updated their game plans against him. He took the league by storm to start the year. Most didn’t know who he was. Now, it’s about adjusting to their adjustments. He did some of that as he was relied upon to close it out against the Kings.

The Thunder wouldn’t be here without Mitchell’s emergence. He’s provided a steady ball-handler who can run the offense when Gilgeous-Alexander is resting. That type of surprise development is how they can still beat teams left and right despite missing Jalen Williams and others.

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