OKLAHOMA CITY — Dribbling between his legs, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s pump-fake had Olivier-Maxence Prosper go the wrong direction. A spin move helped him tap the ball against the glass. As it ricocheted back to him, he passed it out to Branden Carlson for the corner 3-pointer.

The Oklahoma City Thunder pulled away late in their 119-103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Both teams entered with short-handed rosters as half of their respective rosters sit on the injury report.

Early on, the Grizzlies showed they weren’t going to get walked all over. They had a 10-3 lead to start the contest. That surprised the Thunder as they needed a moment to collect themselves. Eventually, they got things going. They held a 31-28 lead after the first quarter.

The second quarter started much of the same. Both teams were within a couple of possessions with each other. Until the Thunder went on a 16-4 run to create some elbow room. Kenrich Williams stole Memphis’ inbound pass and fed it to Jalen Williams for the transition jam as OKC went up 59-47 with a little over three minutes left in the frame.

The Thunder had a strong finish as they scored 36 points in the second frame. They entered halftime with a 67-54 lead over the Grizzlies. A pretty decent margin considering how slow things were at the start.

After the break, the offense went back to a freezing halt. Through the first five minutes of the third frame, the Thunder only had three points. Luckily enough, the Grizzlies were equally bad. Neither team could buy a bucket as some bad basketball unfolded that had folks returning from the concourse feeling zero FOMO.

Eventually, Williams’ loud dunk woke up a sleepy OKC crowd. The Thunder scored 17 points in the third frame. They had an 84-73 lead. It felt like, as long as they kept pace, the Grizzlies simply didn’t have the scoring talent to catch up on the scoreboard.

In the early stages, everything was rocking. Ajay Mitchell drove to the basket for the layup. The Thunder had a 90-73 lead less than two minutes into the final frame. On the cusp of a blowout, the Grizzlies quickly got back into it with unreal shot-making from the outside.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope couldn’t miss from the outside. Other Memphis role players hit some timely outside jumpers. The Grizzlies were able to get it down to a 101-97 game with a little over five minutes left. On the verge of crunch time, the Thunder went on a 14-2 run to shut the door.

Gilgeous-Alexander hit on MVP-esque jumpers to bury the Grizzlies. Williams joined in on the fun. Obviously, the Grizzlies had zero counterparts on their end to match bucket for bucket. That four-minute sequence turned this from a potential upset alert to another game where the OKC starters clocked out earlier than scheduled. The Thunder scored 35 points in the final frame.

The Thunder shot 49% from the field and went 15-of-39 (38.5%) from 3. They shot 12-of-14 on free throws. They had 20 assists on 46 baskets. Six Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 31 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Williams had 24 points and six rebounds. Mitchell finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. Lu Dort scored 13 points. Williams had 11 points and six rebounds off the bench. Carlson also had 11 points.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies shot 41% from the field and went 18-of-41 (43.9%) from 3. They shot 17-of-23 on free throws. They had 26 assists on 34 baskets. Six Grizzlies players scored double-digit points.

Jaren Jackson Jr. was quiet with 11 points and three rebounds. Cedric Coward had 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Caldwell-Pope scored 16 points on 5-of-6 from 3. Cam Spencer had 14 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Jaylen Wells tallied 12 points and four rebounds. Jock Landale totaled an 11-point and 10-rebound double-double.

It took longer than expected, but the Thunder took care of business against a makeshift Grizzlies. Gilgeous-Alexander continues to prove he’s a one-man win machine with any combination of teammates. As long as he’s out there, OKC should be favored. Memphis put up a good fight, but a lack of a go-to scorer showed up at the end.

Not the entertaining game, but they all can’t be. The Thunder return to their winning ways and remain undefeated at home. This was a good way to start this grueling home-road back-to-back before the face-off against the San Antonio Spurs twice in the next three days.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus

Going at Prosper, Gilgeous-Alexander bumped into him a couple of times as he cleanly drove straight to the basket for the layup. It was too easy for the reigning MVP as he put the Grizzlies away with unreal shot-making down the stretch. Enough was enough as he ensured they didn’t drop this gimme.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points on 11-of-20 shooting, 10 rebounds and eight assists. He shot 3-of-4 from 3 and went 6-of-6 on free throws. He also had four steals and a block.

Surrounded by mostly third-string players, Gilgeous-Alexander continued business as usual. He had some bad luck on his jumpers, but the drives to the basket remain reliable. The Grizzlies tried multiple defenders, but none could slow him down as soon as he lowered his shoulders and attacked the basket.

Easily the best player on the floor, Gilgeous-Alexander had 17 points in the first half. Nobody on the Grizzlies could match his shot-making — even if they were fully healthy. After a forgettable third quarter, he turned it up a notch in the final frame to stomp out any thoughts of a Memphis upset.

Suddenly, Gilgeous-Alexander couldn’t miss. He had that look in his eye. He scored 12 points in the final frame — on mostly jumpers. He made a few in the mid-range at the elbow and inside the nail. Once he got into a flow, he got daring and swished in two stepback 3-pointers that barely grazed the net.

Before you knew it, Gilgeous-Alexander was flirting with a career triple-double. Alas, he had to settle for his second alley-oop catch when Williams threw it to him in transition. This was a nice warm-up game before OKC’s true tests against the Spurs with two games by Christmas Night.

Jalen Williams: B-plus

Splitting the defense, Williams had a clear lane to the basket. As Jackson Jr. and Christian Koloko tried to contest at the rim, he flew off the floor. The All-NBA player threw down a booming dunk that had the OKC crowd on its feet. He flexed his muscles and yelled from adrenaline.

Williams finished with 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting, six rebounds and two assists. He shot 1-of-6 from 3 and went 3-of-4 on free throws.

Considering everybody who was out, this was the perfect tune-up opportunity. Williams was OKC’s undisputed second-best player. A vacuum of shot attempts was funneled towards him. While he had some struggles with some unlucky misses around the rim and the jumper was off, the aggressiveness was encouraging.

Needing his scoring, Williams was consistent throughout the night. He had 12 points in each half. He had no problem as he drove his way to layups and sliced through Memphis’ defense. Riding the momentum of his poster, he swished in a few mid-range jumpers for some much-needed buckets.

Against a depleted Grizzlies, Williams was able to drink up a quick boost of confidence. This is what he needed as he struggled in both of OKC’s losses he played in. Bullying Jackson Jr. on both ends of the floor is the type of thing that makes you feel unstoppable.

Kenrich Williams: A

With the two-on-one man advantage in transition, Williams didn’t hesitate. He threw up an alley-oop pass to Gilgeous-Alexander. The reigning MVP being on the dunker’s side of a successful lob play is about as rare as a 70-degree Christmas.

Williams finished with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting, six rebounds and three assists. He shot 1-of-3 from 3. He also had four steals.

At this point, Williams has aged into the veteran role player. He’s seldom played this season. But when the Thunder breaks that glass, he always steps up. It’s the type of luxurious depth the rest of the NBA would love to have as the 31-year-old was a quick boost of energy off the bench.

In a short rotation, Williams took advantage of his minutes. He instantly made an impact. The Grizzlies struggled to create quality half-court offense when he was on the floor. And that’s when they had the ball. Other times, they couldn’t even get the inbounds in as he intercepted it.

The Thunder have juggled injuries all season. This might’ve been the most depleted they looked all season. Only eight standard players suited up. That’s all they needed. Williams has shown he can help the league-best defense by being disruptive and physical.

Lu Dort: A

Matched up on Jackson Jr., Dort was able to beat him to the pass. On one arm, he fought off the multi-time All-Star. On the other arm, he gained possession of the ball as both players tumbled towards the sideline fans. Talk about pure effort.

Dort finished with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and four rebounds. He shot 3-of-6 from 3. He also had three steals and three blocks.

There’s been a lot of talk about Dort in recent days. You can suggest he’s had a slow start, but to say they should pull the plug on the All-Defense member is a bit reactionary. This game showed you why the Thunder ride with him through the ups and downs.

At his best, Dort can provide awesome one-on-one defense. He helped lock down a Memphis offense that solely relied on bail-out outside jumpers. He made loud defensive play after loud defensive play against a team that had several key players out.

And on the other end, the outside jumpers finally fell. That must’ve felt good. It’s been an ice-cold start for him from deep to start the season. Perhaps a couple of absent stints have played a role in that. It’s difficult for a streaky shooter to get hot when they’re in and out of the lineup. That said, being back home always helps out the role players. You saw that with Dort.

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