As the scoreboard got out of hand, the only drama left would be if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued his historic 20-point streak. Taking a backseat all night, the reigning MVP looked like he wouldn’t reach the mark for the first time in 87 games. Alas, a stepback 3-pointer and a trip to the free-throw line secured that caveat.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had another blowout with a 126-109 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Business as usual for the reigning NBA champions against a bottom-of-the-barrel team that fired its head coach before Thanksgiving.

Early on, the Thunder made history. They quickly built up a daunting lead. Lu Dort had a get-right moment with a few outside buckets that finally went in. Chet Holmgren utilized his size to go to the post and score easy layups. They had a 49-24 lead after the first quarter. That was the most opening frame points OKC has ever had.

To lead by 25 points is one thing. But to do it after one quarter? That requires an insane level of incompetence by one side. It felt like the Thunder would perhaps double-up the Pelicans on the scoreboard the entire way. Instead, they played around with their food too much. Throwing a few too many behind-the-back passes.

The Thunder slowly saw their 20-plus point lead disappear. Trey Murphy III and Jeremiah Fears led a comeback attempt. The Pelicans scored 32 points in the frame. Meanwhile, OKC couldn’t muster up decent offense as the bench lineup committed bad shot attempts or avoidable turnovers.

The Thunder only had a 69-56 lead at halftime. Yves Missi loudly denied Ajay Mitchell’s layup attempt at the buzzer to sum up how the second frame went. The scattered New Orleans crowd made noise for the first time all night.

And then the Thunder had enough. They came out of the halftime break energized after a sluggish frame. Sending doubles at Gilgeous-Alexander, he beat New Orleans’ zone defense by passing it out to the perimeter for open looks. It didn’t take long for OKC to get its lead back up to 20-plus points.

As Gilgeous-Alexander crossed 20 points once again, the Thunder had a 105-80 lead after the third quarter. He wasn’t required to play another fourth quarter. It was another drama-less final frame as OKC and New Orleans put up some garbage-time stats. The former had 27 points. It led by as many as 30 points in the wire-to-wire win.

The Thunder shot 49% from the field and went 17-of-42 (40.5%) from 3. They shot 23-of-28 on free throws. They had 30 assists on 43 baskets. Six Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander had a modest 23 points and eight assists. Holmgren scored an efficient 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Dort went off for 17 points. Isaiah Hartenstein had 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Isaiah Joe scored 14 points and Ajay Mitchell scored 11 points off the bench.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans shot 49% from the field and went 12-of-28 (42.9%) from 3. They shot 13-of-15 on free throws. They had 21 assists on 42 baskets. Five Pelicans players scored double-digit points.

Fears scored 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Murphy III had 18 points and five rebounds. Micah Peavy had 16 points. Jordan Hawkins scored 11 points and Karlo Matkovic scored 10 points off the bench.

Well, this lopsided victory teeters closer to stressful than enjoyable. Why, you ask? Just with how the game flow went. After the first quarter, this should’ve been the type of gimme win that balloons your point differential. Nobody should’ve had the thought of an unlikely comeback creep into the back of their minds. Give credit to the short-handed Pelicans; they made it interesting a couple of times, but the talent gap was too wide.

All that said, you can’t complain about a double-digit win. It’s the NBA at the end of the day. The Thunder might’ve let go of the rope a bit in the middle quarters, but that’s what happens when you play one of the worst teams in a half-filled arena in November. They did enough to get by and didn’t need to play Gilgeous-Alexander in the final frame. That’s all you can realistically hope for.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: B

Only needing five points to reach 20, Gilgeous-Alexander wasted little time. A stepback 3-pointer got him into a groove after being in the background most of the night. He then drove to the basket and forced Jose Alvarado to commit the foul. A free-throw trip later, he hit one more stepback outside jumper for good measure.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 23 points on 5-of-9 shooting, eight assists and one rebound. He shot 3-of-5 from 3 and went 10-of-10 on free throws. He also had three steals.

Not the most assertive outing for Gilgeous-Alexander. It’s the first time he’s taken single-digit shot attempts since 2019. Likely a mixture of reasons. On one hand, he wanted to play the bus driver role. These low-leverage minutes could pay dividends down the road for OKC role players. He deferred to Mitchell as the primary ball-handler. Of course, that leads to growing points, but it’s part of the season-long process.

On the other hand, the Pelicans threw out several gimmicky defenses. From your zone defenses to full-court presses to double-teams at the midcourt logo. Gilgeous-Alexander has always historically struggled against New Orleans despite the talent discrepancy.

When the Thunder needed Gilgeous-Alexander to close this out, he did. He scored 11 points in the third quarter. Outside jumpers demoralized the Pelicans, as that’s become a legitimate weapon. They couldn’t stop fouling him either as he drove to the basket. All that to sit out another fourth quarter. That’s graduated from a trend to a storyline.

Chet Holmgren: A-plus

Cutting to the basket from the perimeter, Holmgren was rewarded for his off-ball saviness. Gilgeous-Alexander dumped it back to him off the drive. The seven-footer lifted off the floor and threw down the two-handed jam as Murphy III tried to contest.

Holmgren finished with 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting and nine rebounds. He shot 3-of-6 from 3 and went 3-of-4 on free throws. He also had one block.

At this point in the season, Holmgren’s confidence must be sky high. A couple of get-right games against some of the worst teams will do that for you. He feasted inside as New Orleans’ youthful frontcourt had no answer for him. A couple of alley-oops and layups led him to an efficient shot chart.

The jumper was also on point. He was near automatic from the outside. We saw another elbow jumper. The mid-range area has been a spot he’s populated more often this season. He helped put this one away with a 15-point second half.

The Thunder envisioned Holmgren to be this type of potent scorer. As Jalen Williams has missed the entire season to this point, you’ve seen him step up as OKC’s second-best scorer. Last season, Williams enjoyed a breakout season while Holmgren sat out with an injury. This season, you’re seeing their roles flipped in that regard.

Lu Dort: A

Standing at the right-wing spot, Cason Wallace kicked it out to Dort. Swish. Within the same opening minute, Dort was at the top of the key. Hartenstein passed it out to him. Swish. Speaking of get-right, this was much needed after an ice-cold start from the outside for the season.

Dort finished with 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting, one rebound and one assist. He shot 4-of-6 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws. He also had one steal and one block.

Everything went OKC’s way to start. That included Dort’s hot start. He scored 12 points in the opening frame and made four triples. The streaky outside shooter helped the Thunder bury the Pelicans early on the scoreboard. This is exactly what he needed to boost his confidence.

While several other Thunder role players have one-upped their career campaign from last year, Dort has needed some time to get going. Missing time with a shoulder strain slowed down any momentum. But it also gave him a chance to slow things down and catch his breath.

The Thunder hope Dort can go on a heater. Can never have enough outside shooting. Especially in this offense. It’d be a plus to what he brings on the other end of the floor, where he recently earned his first All-Defense Team honor.

Isaiah Hartenstein: A

Bounce-passing the ball back to Joe on a DHO, an almost-turnover turned into a circus play for Hartenstein. As the ball apexed mid-air, Joe punched it back to Hartenstien. It landed in his hands. He went up for the easy jam. Luck was on his side in another productive outing.

Hartenstein finished with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, seven rebounds and six assists. He shot 0-of-1 from 3 and went 2-of-3 on free throws. He also had four steals and one block.

If you needed an assist, just run a pick-and-roll with Hartestein. His Thunder teammates learned that hack in real time. The Pelicans couldn’t slow down the seven-footer. Despite his lofty frame, New Orleans’ zone defense left him open several times for easy dunks.

Bizarre trade aside, you have to be encouraged by what Derek Queen has shown in his starting opportunities. But Hartenstein taught the rookie that there are levels to playing center in the NBA. He was able to dissect New Orleans’ defense by destroying their gimmicks and finding his teammates for easy looks.

It’s been an awesome season for Hartenstein. He broke out last season, but this year has seen him make nuanced improvements. One being his sharpened chemistry with Holmgren. Those two have played better and been on the same page more often. The double-big lineup has become an OKC staple with its starters and bench lineups.

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