A half-full water bottle vibrated on the scorer’s table with every chant from the Paycom Center crowd.
“OKC,” the Thunder fans echoed while stomping the floor. “OKC.”
It was a scene straight out of Jurassic Park. And while there wasn’t a T-Rex in sight, the apex predator of the NBA was on the attack all night. That was the OKC Thunder, which showcased its dominance during a 138-89 home win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 28 points, eight assists and two steals in 27 minutes. He went 11 for 15 from the field (3 for 4 from deep).
OKC (24-1) is now on a 16-game winning streak, which is a franchise record. It’s also tied with the 205-16 Golden State Warriors for the best start to a season through the first 25 games in NBA history. And it hasn’t shown any signs of complacency after winning its first championship last season.
“We have to understand that anything in the past takes you out of the present moment,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “Anything in the future takes you out of the present moment. The game and the competition happen in the present moment. So the championship is great, but if we’re thinking about it then it’s a distraction. And what we have ahead of us is exciting, but if we’re thinking about that then it’s a distraction.
“All we have now is practice Friday and then preparation to play whoever we play on Saturday.”
That opponent is San Antonio. The Spurs booked their ticket to the semifinals with a 132-119 road win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday despite being without Victor Wembanyama, who hasn’t played since Nov. 14 due to a left calf strain but was a full participant in practice this past weekend.
OKC and San Antonio will face each other at 8 p.m. Saturday in Las Vegas. A trip to Tuesday’s championship game will be on the line.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
Order new book on Thunder’s run to NBA title
Cason Wallace is running away with his opportunities
Collin Gillespie hadn’t even gotten a chance to bark out orders yet.
Only eight seconds had come off of the game clock in the first quarter when the Suns’ starting point guard tried to set up a play. But before he could do that, he was blitzed by an orange-and-blue blur.
The basketball bandit was none other than Cason Wallace, who got the steal and was laying it up on the other end of the floor just three seconds later.
That sequence sums up this season for Wallace, who has ran away with every opportunity given to him. He asserted himself as a starting-caliber guard early in the season when Jalen Williams was out. And he showed he can be a primary point-of-attack defender during Lu Dort’s most recent three-game absence.
Wallace recorded four steals to go along with his nine points and four rebounds in only 19 minutes before he exited the game in the third quarter. He ran into a hard screen by Mark Williams and quickly subbed himself out, and he didn’t return.
Daigneault said Wallace will be checked out Thursday. If the injury does sideline him for a few games, his production will be sorely missed.
Wallace now leads the NBA in both total steals (56) and steals per game (2.3) this season. He also has a Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month award under his belt.
“He gets up and pressures the ball with active hands and great feet,” Thunder forward Chet Holmgren said of Wallace. “I’ve tried to pressure a couple of times, and I don’t know how these dudes stay in front with 94 feet of space to just run by you. Cason was great tonight. You never want to see him go out like that, but he should be alright. Tough guy.”
Chet Holmgren took his game to new heights
Holmgren caught a pass at the top of the arc early in the second quarter and glanced around, checking if any defenders were closing in from the side.
All he saw was the top of 6-foot-3 guard Jordan Goodwin‘s head, which wasn’t even at his shoulders. And while Goodwin didn’t have enough time to get a hand up on Holmgren, that likely wouldn’t have mattered.
The 7-foot-1 forward released a 3-pointer without hesitation and watched it find the bottom of the net.
Holmgren capitalized throughout the night when he had a height advantage over his defender. He pulled up on the perimeter, backed players down on the block and launched floaters in the lane with an impressive level of decisiveness.
Holmgren finished with 24 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes on 9-for-13 shooting from the field (4 for 4 from deep). He also used his height and reach on defense, where he racked up three blocks.
“I thought he was really good tonight,” Daigneault said. “He had a good inside-out blend. … I thought he showed the whole spectrum of things he’s capable of offensively tonight. He was great defensively as well, so I thought he played a really complete game in his minutes.”
The Thunder took pleasure in passing
Jalen Williams had an open look from the right wing midway through the third quarter. A perfect opportunity to drain a triple and break out his signature celebration in front of thousands of screaming fans.
But Williams passed that moment up and instead gave it to Gilgeous-Alexander. The must-watch superstar somehow went unnoticed by Phoenix as he drifted out to the corner, and he connected on an open 3-pointer off an assist from his All-NBA teammate.
And while Williams didn’t get to break out his own celebration, which consists of holding three fingers up to his forehead, he still raised his right arm. Only he was pointing at Gilgeous-Alexander in excitement.
OKC took pleasure in making the extra pass from the jump. It swung the ball around until someone could break free from Phoenix’s pesky perimeter defenders, and it was rewarded with one of its most efficient shooting nights of the season.
OKC racked up 32 assists and shot 59% from the field and 55% shooting from deep. That marked its best shooting percentage from the field all season and its second-best shooting percentage from deep.
Tip-insShai Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in 96 consecutive games. That ranks second all-time, only trailing Wilt Chamberlain (126 games).OKC was without Isaiah Hartenstein (right soleus calf strain) and Isaiah Joe (left knee contusion), Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgery recovery) and Nikola Topić (surgery recovery).Phoenix’s Devin Booker (right groin strain) did not play on Wednesday. He’s averaging a team-high 25 points per game this season.Grayson Allen was ejected from the game with 5:18 left i the third quarter after he connected on a hard screen with Chet Holmgren. Allen ended his night with 10 points and four assists in 22 minutes.OKC’s home game against the Los Angeles Clippers has been rescheduled from Dec. 17 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 18. The NBA Cup championship is on Dec. 16 in Las Vegas, so the Thunder won’t have a back-to-back if it reaches that stage.
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
Thunder vs. Spurs
TIPOFF: 8 p.m. Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Prime Video)