OKLAHOMA CITY — Getting the switch on DeMar DeRozan, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needed less than a second to make his next move. He went to his signature stepback 3-pointer. The move he’s worked on for years. The ball rattled through the basket. Dagger in the final 16 seconds.

Somehow, someway, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a 107-101 win over the Sacramento Kings. Through mostly close victories, the reigning NBA champion finds itself at 5-0 to start the season.

Missing Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, the short-handed Thunder looked like a team running on fumes to start. After being loudly cheered again, Russell Westbrook made a couple of corner looks to get going. The Kings had a 29-24 lead after the first quarter.

The second frame was much better for the Thunder. At least on one side of the ball. Gilgeous-Alexander and DeRozan went back and forth. It was a generational battle of mid-range maestros. The Thunder scored 34 points in the quarter, but the Kings kept their distance. OKC entered halftime in a 62-58 deficit.

Then, the second half resembled closer to what the Thunder did on defense last season. The Kings were limited to 21 points in the third frame. Despite a size advantage, Domantas Sabonis couldn’t finish through traffic when he collected misses. Not on second-chance, third-chance or even fourth-chance looks.

The Thunder exited the third frame in an 83-80 deficit. A manageable deficit. But the opening minutes of the fourth quarter would tell you how things would shake out. Could OKC’s bench survive Gilgeous-Alexander’s required rest? The answer was yes, but barely.

Returning from concussion protocol, Alex Caruso provided a spark off the bench. A laissez-faire approach had the Thunder from behind for most of the game. A mostly-filled crowd was quiet. They desperately needed a reason to get up and energize the arena.

Once Gilgeous-Alexander returned, Sacramento only had a four-point lead with a little under eight minutes left. Another clutch time situation was brewing. Not anything new for this squad. It’s been a complete contrast from last season’s flood of blowout wins.

Gilgeous-Alexander shoulder-bumped his way to a layup. That turned it into a one-point deficit with a little under four minutes left. A couple of possessions later, he dished it out to Lu Dort, who hit the big-time outside bucket to give OKC its first lead in forever.

As the Thunder led by two points with one minute left, Dort ripped a rebound out of Sabonis’s hands. That eventually led to Caruso’s big-time outside bucket. Suddenly, they had a 104-99 advantage with 47 seconds left. Gilgeous-Alexander’s stepback 3-pointer was the punctuation mark of a 27-point final frame to complete the comeback and improbable win.

The Thunder shot 46% from the field and went 14-of-44 (31.8%) from 3. They shot 9-of-10 on free throws. They had 26 assists on 42 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 31 points and nine rebounds. Aaron Wiggins and Ajay Mitchell each had 18 points. Dort finished with 13 points.

Meanwhile, the Kings shot 42% from the field and went 10-of-29 (34.5%) from 3. They shot 19-of-21 on free throws. They had 21 assists on 36 baskets. Five Kings players scored double-digit points.

LaVine led the way with 23 points and four rebounds. DeRozan had 19 points and three assists. Sabonis tallied 10 points and 18 rebounds. Westbrook finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. Keon Ellis had 12 points off the bench.

Another last-season win for the Thunder. It’s not what fans have grown accustomed to in the last couple of years, but the start of this season has been a slap back to the NBA reality. This is how teams get most of their victories. Especially when two of your three best players, plus more, are out.

It looked like, for most of the night, the Thunder would serve their first loss of the season. The Kings perfectly played into the trap game role. Most of their household names had their turn putting up impressive isolation buckets. But OKC turned it up a notch in the fourth quarter just enough to squeeze by.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus

Doubling Gilgeous-Alexander all game long, the Kings made their biggest mistake in the final moments. The reigning MVP found the switch he wanted. Instead of Dennis Schroder, he matched up with DeRozan. That was enough to go into killer mode and finish Sacramento with the stepback outside look.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points on 14-of-26 shooting, nine rebounds and four assists. He shot 1-of-5 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had three blocks and one steal.

Considering the Kings allowed Austin Reaves to go off for 51 points, Gilgeous-Alexander had it going. He sliced through Sacramento’s defense with finishes around the basket. The mid-range and short jumpers were also on point. It was one of those nights where the ball felt good leaving his fingertips.

And even though Gilgeous-Alexander’s free-throw numbers have drastically dropped, he’s managed to get it done from the field. If he needs to be a bucket merchant, he can be one. He was near automatic from within the perimeter. It adds to his historic efficiency within that range that rivals prime Shaq.

A slow start was quickly forgotten. Gilgeous-Alexander was a scoring machine. The Thunder did just enough to make it a four-point contest when he checked back into the fourth quarter. That’s all he needed. A few jumpers and a finger-roll layup later, he had OKC ahead despite the vibes feeling like an inevitable, disappointing loss.

This is what reigning MVPs do. They carry their team to a win regardless of who’s out there. Gilgeous-Alexander did it tonight with only role players, as Williams and Holmgren were out. He crossed the 30-point mark despite only one trip to the free-throw line.

Aaron Wiggins: A

Saving the ball from going out of bounds, Wiggins turned his head to see if anybody was open. He quickly saw Isaiah Hartenstein underneath the basket. One bounce pass later, the seven-footer had an easy second-chance dunk that also graduated into an and-one opportunity.

Wiggins finished with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting, six rebounds and six assists. He shot 4-of-10 from 3. He also had three blocks and one steal.

Seldom is Wiggins’ best play from the hustle variety. The bucket-getter has the scoring bag to break down his defender now and then. But the offensive rebound put the Thunder up by an important four points. And it all was created from a pure hustle play amid chaos.

The Thunder needed Wiggins to step up once again. But doing a little more. With Williams and Holmgren out, he needed to upsize his role, similar to the 40-burger he dropped the last time the Kings were in OKC. That’s secretly his best trait. He can be your bench player or rely upon as a starter and top scoring option.

It’s funny to think how the Thunder had to beg Wiggins to increase his outside volume at the start of last season. Now, he’s letting it fly from deep in a variety of ways. Amid a slow start from the outside, he’s been one of the few bright spots in that aspect of the game. The scoring punch he provides has been much needed.

Ajay Mitchell: B

Receiving the ball on the left wing with three seconds left, Mitchell wasn’t rushed to put up a shot. Instead, he read the game-time situation and drove to the basket. An open lane to a layup just beat the shot clock buzzer. It was another game where the 23-year-old stepped up.

Mitchell finished with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting and one assist. He shot 3-of-7 from 3 and went 1-of-1 on free throws.

We’ve reached the point where opposing teams have moved Mitchell up their OKC scouting reports. At least for now, as long as Williams remains out. He’s been a double-digit scorer the Thunder have desperately needed in all of their wins. He’s received plenty of buzz from social media for his improvements. Now, he’s been a mainstay as a top contributor.

Against the Kings, Mitchell showed he can battle through. Drives to the basket resulted in physical misses. The referees let both sides play defense. This forced him to go through the ups and downs in a single contest. At the end, he stepped up in the crunch time when needed. That’s a sign of growth.

Lu Dort: B

Getting the ball at the right wing, Dort was in his shot motion before the ball covered his palms. A cold start from the outside didn’t scare him off from putting shots up. Short-term memory loss in that aspect of basketball has helped him develop into one of the best 3-and-D players.

Dort gave the Thunder the go-ahead lead with a little under three minutes left. He finished with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting, five rebounds and one assist. He shot 1-of-6 from 3 and went 4-of-4 on free throws. He also had two steals.

The Thunder needed a little bit more out of Dort with their lengthy absences. He was happy to oblige. That materialized into more ball-handling possessions. He attacked the basket several times. While the results weren’t pretty, he stepped up when needed at the end.

That’s all you can ask for. Like the entire team, the outside shot hasn’t fallen at a justifiable rate for Dort. But the only way to get out of that is by putting them up despite the noise. Small sample size theatrics won’t scare off the NBA champion. He showed why in the final minutes.

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