OKLAHOMA CITY — Even with Kobe Sanders and Nicolas Batum closing in, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t care. He swished in a stepback 3-pointer in the final seconds of the third quarter for his last bucket. He pointed to the OKC bench and pumped out his signature outside bucket celebration.

After a slow start, the Oklahoma City Thunder collected a 122-101 win over the LA Clippers. It was a double whammy as the reigning NBA champions helped their 2026 NBA draft lottery odds, too.

“I just thought the intensity and the pressure really amped up in the second quarter. We may not have had the steals to show for it, but we were just a little behind the ball in the first quarter and in the second, that group to start did a really good job,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “Obviously, in the third, pretty good tone to start. But that group to end the third was pretty outstanding. Thought we really had our intensity going.”

Things were pretty sleepy at the start. Bogdan Bogdanovic knocked down an outside jumper as OKC was in a 10-2 deficit less than two minutes into the game. The Thunder looked like a team that had an impromptu four-day break after the NBA Cup. They were in a 33-27 deficit after the first quarter.

After that, the Thunder woke up. They score 37 points in the second frame. The OKC bench lineup provided a jolt of energy with Alex Caruso and Ajay Mitchell. Meanwhile, Chet Holmgren looked Dirk-esque with some of his turnaround jumpers that swished in.

As his jumper took a while to get going, Gilgeous-Alexander morphed into a shot-blocker. He met with Ivica Zubac mid-air on the textbook block he conjured up. That got the momentum going on the other end. The Thunder entered halftime with a 64-55 lead over the Clippers.

After the break, the Clippers held their own for a bit. Kawhi Leonard’s unreal shot-making kept them within striking distance. Going to the baseline for his signature mid-range jumper, he flooded back several nostalgic memories of being one of the NBA’s best players. Alas, that was a half-decade ago. That inevitably slowed down.

The Thunder eventually went on their avalanche run. They had a 25-8 run to balloon their lead. No James Harden finally reared its ugly head for LA. OKC went into ball-hawk mode as it created turnover after turnover. Caruso’s steal-and-score sequence put them up 88-76 with a little under four minutes left in the third frame.

That only escalated. Branden Carlson threw down a loud jam. Gilgeous-Alexander finessed his way to a layup. The OKC game ops crew played ‘Titanium’ as LA spammed timeouts. The Thunder scored 39 points in the third quarter. In the blink of an eye, they had a 103-83 lead over the Clippers.

Sitting on 30-plus points, Gilgeous-Alexander sat out another fourth quarter. Holmgren and Williams did enough in the second unit minutes to stiff-arm the Clippers on the scoreboard. They led by as many as 25 points. The Thunder only scored 19 points in the final frame, which was pretty forgettable.

To put a nice bow on things, Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe took turns creating a couple of more steals each in the final 79 seconds of the game. Such a fitting way to end this game that saw the Thunder flat-out bully the Clippers for their poor ball security.

The Thunder shot 48% from the field and went 13-of-36 (36.1%) from 3. They shot 13-of-16 on free throws. They had 28 assists on 48 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with an efficient 32 points. Holmgren had an efficient 22 points and seven rebounds. Williams tallied 20 points and five assists. Mitchell totaled 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Joe scored 14 points in his return.

Meanwhile, the Clippers shot 49% from the field and went 10-of-32 (31.3%) from 3. They shot 17-of-22 on free throws. They had 25 assists on 37 baskets. Five Clippers players scored double-digit points.

Leonard had 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists. John Collins finished with 20 points and four rebounds. Zubac tallied an 11-point and 11-rebound double-double. Bogdanovic scored 14 points. Kris Dunn turned in 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Well, this is why the Thunder are viewed as the NBA’s best team and the Clippers are viewed as one of the biggest dumpster fires. Even with the lackadaisical start, the championship talent eventually showed against one of the league’s oldest squads.

They’re likely numb to it, but add this to the long list of regrets for why the Clippers set their franchise back by dealing Gilgeous-Alexander for Paul George in the 2019 blockbuster deal. And if they continue to fall in the standings, they could hand-deliver the reigning NBA champion a premium draft pick.

“A lot of different guys had their fingerprints on the win tonight. You never know what stretch is going to open a game up for you or open up a game and that’s why you got to stack as many possessions as you can through 48 minutes,” Daigneault said. “I thought we hung with the game tonight. We were a little rustier, slower to start and then we got it going.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A

Seeing Sanders across from him, Gilgeous-Alexander tasted blood in the water. Shaking his shoulders back and forth, he settled at the nail. A pull-up mid-range jumper swished in. Finally, the reigning MVP regained his superpowers after dealing with Kryptonite at the start.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 32 points on 13-of-24 shooting, seven rebounds and six assists. He shot 2-of-6 from 3 and went 4-of-6 on free throws. He also had two steals.

This was quite the in-game comeback. Things looked dire at the start. Gilgeous-Alexander drove to the basket but saw his shot attempts circle the rim before they fell out. His jumper barely missed on other attempts. He even coughed up a seldom turnover and missed free throws.

It felt like we were watching a real-life remake of the ‘Thunderstruck’ classic. Gilgeous-Alexander’s powers were suddenly gone. He felt mortal. But just like in the Oscar-worthy movie, though, he shook off the cob webs. The reigning MVP flipped a switch and remembered who he was.

After playing around with his food, Gilgeous-Alexander put the plates in the dishwasher. The Thunder ran away on the scoreboard in the third quarter. He scored 19 points in the frame to ensure he’d be able to clock out early from another shift — especially important since this is on the front of a home-and-road back-to-back.

Gilgeous-Alexander sliced through LA’s defense. The slow-footed roster couldn’t keep up. He got into a groove. And as the Clippers turned it over every other possession, that led to the ultimate advantage. The NBA’s best scorer was given plenty of transition opportunities to beat the Clippers to the rim.

Another ho-hum game by Gilgeous-Alexander. He had 30 points in three quarters. After enjoying the extravagant nature of Las Vegas, it was nice to see the reigning MVP back in his own gym. He beat his old squad and twisted the knife even further on the franchise-altering mistake they made seven years ago.

Chet Holmgren: A-plus

Seeing Bogdanovic on him, Holmgren went old school. He backed him up in the post. He didn’t need much strength to dribble his way to his spot inside the paint. Near the basket, he went with the one-legged fadeaway jumper that swished in as the whistle blew for the and-one opportunity.

Holmgren finished with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, seven rebounds and two assists. He shot 3-of-5 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws. He also had a steal.

It wasn’t that long ago when folks begged the Thunder to run more offense through Holmgren. You’ve seen that happen this season. They were vindicated to feel that way. In turn, he’s had one of his most efficient scoring years. Fighting through a cold start, he was OKC’s sole source of offense. He had 11 points in the first frame.

Against Zubac, Holmgren utilized his perimeter scoring. He hit on his mid-range jumpers. And when the ball reached him at the perimeter, he knocked down his outside shots. He had 18 points in the first half. Along with Gilgeous-Alexander, both players helped the Thunder create some distance on the scoreboard.

Putting up an efficient 20 points is the new standard. Holmgren has set that bar. He’s matured as a scorer and has turned into someone the Thunder can throw the ball to and expect to generate a quality look. That type of developmental path should be rewarded with a first-time All-Star berth.

“You can’t block a shot if they don’t get the shot up. I think that’s a beautiful problem to have. I had a couple of opportunities,” Holmgren said. “It’s all good. Dudes were flying around and making plays. I was happy to see that. When there’s a night they’re not able to come up with those steals, I’ll help out.”

Even though the rest of the NBA world threw a party when the Thunder lost in the NBA Cup semifinals and fans back home panicked, Holmgren kept things in perspective. He’s not afforded the luxury to swing in the highs and lows of postgame feelings. An even-keel mindset is probably the best approach for OKC.

“I feel like you have to have a better relationship with the experiences you have out there. You don’t want to be emotional towards them when you lose or win, close game, blowout, when the game feels ugly or pretty all night,” Holmgren said. “You can’t let that affect how you feel towards that particular game that night or season as a whole or what comes next. You just gotta take them for what they are, learn from them and the mistakes. Watch what’s well and continue from them.”

Jalen Williams: A-minus

Nonchalantly poking the ball out of Sanders’ possession, Williams picked up the loose possession. He went the other way without any interference for a running layup as the Thunder ensured there was no funny business involved in the fourth quarter.

Williams finished with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, five assists and one rebound. He shot 2-of-2 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had two steals.

Facing the Thunder without a real point guard is a recipe for disaster. Once Harden was ruled out, OKC forcing dozens of turnovers against LA was within the realm of reality. That undersold it a bit. Williams disrupted LA’s halfcourt offense as it turned it over an alarming 29 times. Being flooded by a wave of all-world defenders will do that.

And then Williams did enough on offense. He played within the flow of the offense. He sliced through LA’s defense. His drives to the basket continue to look sharper by the game. A couple of outside makes had people’s hopes up that his shooting numbers could eventually come back to form.

It’ll be a journey for Williams. He continues to get comfortable with his surgically repaired wrist. The Thunder hope that once he returns to his usual superb-efficient 20-plus point form, they can heighten their ceiling as an NBA win machine that’s unbeatable at home.

“We do a really good job at turning people over and not turn the ball over. That’s been a big recipe for us,” Williams said. “It’s always good to hear that. To know we’re going in the right direction, taking care of the ball. Whenever you don’t turn the ball over, you get a lot more shots. As funny as that sounds. The more shots you generate, the more likely you’ll win the game.”

The Thunder returned to their quota with another win. They’re undefeated in their home gym this season. Sitting at 25-2, they waited long enough to respond to their second loss of the season. As the noise for 70 wins grows louder, Williams said expectations around their squad have grown exponentially.

“Me personally, I don’t like losing. It always suck to lose — especially when you’re expected to win. I think that’s the biggest change just in my four years here. You’re expected to win each game more and more,” Williams said. “You play a lot of games, you’re going to lose. It’s just more how well we can play in those games and be able to look in the mirror and say, ‘We didn’t beat ourselves. The team went out and beat us.'”

Ajay Mitchell: B

Extending his arm straight up to its fullest extent, Mitchell banked in an and-one layup as Batum fouled him off the drive. The high-difficulty finish got him into the groove of things.

Mitchell finished with 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting, seven rebounds and five assists. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 1-of-1 on free throws. He also had two steals.

Seeing the starters needed a boost, Mitchell provided it — a la a Red Bull in the middle of a work shift. He likely read the scouting report and was anxious to go out there against an LA squad filled with old legs and cranky moods. He attacked the basket and drove through arms.

Mitchell was able to eat well in the fourth quarter. He put up nine points in the final frame as the Clippers were miles behind on the scoreboard. That type of offense is welcomed as Gilgeous-Alexander gets to rest on the bench. He’s been a tremendous find for them as another bucket-getter.

And as a secondary ball-handler, Mitchell has helped the Thunder not see a sea-sized drop-off once Gilgeous-Alexander checks out. He compliments Williams and Holmgren to run the show in the second unit. His scoring aggressiveness has been a breath of fresh air for the reserves.

“Him and Caruso went in and really changed the tone of the game with their defensive pressure. That was important for us after the start we got off to,” Daigneault said about Mitchell. “I thought he had a really good game flow. I thought he was tired down the stretch, to be honest with you. But he had a really good game flow in the meat of the game.”

Cason Wallace: A

Playfully stealing the ball from Sanders, Wallace added to his total. Facing an LA squad that had Dunn bring up the ball helped him create some wiggle room for the league lead in steals. It was too easy for him as he relied on his instincts and saviness.

Wallace finished with five points on 1-of-8 shooting, four assists and one rebound. He shot 1-of-6 from 3 and 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had five steals.

The Thunder have buried opponents on the scoreboard thanks to their defense. Specifically, creating turnovers and winning the possession battle. You saw that in this matchup as OKC took an unreal 25 more shot attempts than LA.

“It feels like we’re taking life from the other team and they’re ready to quit,” Wallace said. “When we get teams to that point, it makes the game more fun.”

Juggling injuries all season, Wallace returned to the starting lineup. Isaiah Hartenstein was out with soleus injury management. It’ll be interesting to see if anybody sits out against the Minnesota Timberwolves on the second night of this back-to-back.

“We take pride in winning and we want to win every game. Ever since I’ve been on this team, every loss we didn’t want to keep that around,” Wallace said. “We got the car back on the road and we got back to winning. Every loss you got to learn a lesson, but it don’t ever feel good.”

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