COMMENTARY | Wizards Fall Short in 132-111 Loss Despite Thunder Ejections

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost three players to ejection before halftime — and it didn’t matter.

What could have been a turning point in a close game instead underscored the gap between the Washington Wizards (16-54) and the defending NBA champion Thunder (56-15). Even shorthanded, Oklahoma City dominated in front of a sold-out crowd at Capital One Arena. The Wizards fell 132-111 to the Thunder March 21, extending their losing streak to 15 games. 

The Thunder, who are ranked first in the NBA in both net and defensive rating, showed exactly why, pulling away in the fourth quarter behind a 40-point performance from guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Former Georgetown standout center Thomas Sorber was one of the Thunder’s top cheerleaders on the bench. Sorber, whom the Thunder drafted 15th overall in 2025, tore his ACL in September but has remained a key presence in the locker room.

Beyond Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City’s depth was clear. Forward Chet Holmgren and guard Jared McCain added 18 points each, with Holmgren also recording 10 rebounds. Center Isaiah Hartenstein added 9 points, along with 20 rebounds and 10 assists. 

Going into the game, both teams were already handling limited rotations. Washington was without several players, including guards Tre Johnson and Trae Young, while Oklahoma City was also missing key contributors, including guard Jalen Williams. 

Despite the final score, the game remained competitive for much of the night.

Wizards center Alex Sarr opened the scoring with a jumper, but Oklahoma City scored the next 9 points, taking a 7-point lead just over two minutes into the game. The Wizards answered behind guard Bub Carrington, who hit multiple early 3-pointers.

The first quarter was defined by momentum swings, featuring 15 lead changes before the period ended tied at 32.

The back-and-forth continued into the second quarter.

Washington briefly regained control midway through the quarter, sparked by forward Jamir Watkins. Watkins knocked down back-to-back threes and a dunk to tie the game at 50, which was followed by Sarr’s free throws and a Carrington 3-pointer to give the Wizards a 5-point lead — their largest of the game.

However, Oklahoma City began to show their physicality. The Thunder dominated underneath the basket, ultimately outscoring the Wizards 64-40 in the paint and outrebounding them 55-34. 

With less than 30 seconds remaining in the first half, forward Anthony Gill drove to the basket to cut the Wizards’ deficit to 5.

Immediately after, an altercation under the basket involving Wizards forward Justin Champagnie and Thunder forward Jaylin Williams escalated quickly, with Thunder guards Ajay Mitchell and Cason Wallace joining the scuffle. Gill also jumped in, and the players spilled into fans near the baseline before being broken up. 

After review, the Thunder lost three players, while the Wizards only went down one.

Champagnie and Williams both received 2 technical fouls and were automatically ejected. Mitchell and Wallace were also ejected after receiving 1 technical foul each for escalating the altercation.

Wizards Head Coach Brian Keefe said he was focused on the team’s response.

“I did not see a lot,” Keefe said in a post-game press conference. “I just know that our guys stuck up for each other, which I always love.”

Coming out of the half trailing 69-64, the Wizards held their own in the third quarter. 

Washington kept up with the Thunder offensively, led by guard Bilal Coulibaly’s 14 points in the period. With a minute and a half remaining in the third quarter, a 3-point play from guard Will Riley tied the game at 93. 

However, Oklahoma City responded immediately.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored consecutive layups, followed by a 3-pointer from guard Kenrich Williams. As the seconds ticked down, a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Gilgeous-Alexander put the Thunder up 103-96 at the end of the period. 

From there, the gap only widened. 

The Thunder opened the fourth quarter with an 18-0 run, extending their lead to as many as 25 points. Meanwhile, the Wizards could not get a shot to fall. 

Thunder Head Coach Mark Daigneault said the Wizards’ slump was a result of Oklahoma City’s defensive efforts.

“I thought they were hot early in the game shooting the ball, and we amped up the pressure as the game went on, and our activity as the game went on, and that usually can bite into shot making,” Daigneault said in a post-game press conference. “And it did, because they went cold in the fourth quarter at the start, especially, and I thought our tone had something to do with that defensively.”

With just over six minutes to play, a Carrington 3-pointer ended the Wizards’ scoring drought, cutting the Thunder’s lead to 118-99. But a comeback was too far out of reach. 

With two minutes remaining, “OKC” chants rang through the arena as Wizards fans headed towards the exit. 

Washington scored just 15 points in the fourth quarter, shooting 7-for-21 from the field in what became one of their worst final quarters this season.

Coulibaly, who led the Wizards with 21 points, said the Thunder’s physical presence and experience were differentiators.

“They got experience,” Coulibaly said in a post-game press conference. “They were doing the right things defensively, being really physical with us.”

Daigneault said Oklahoma City was able to maintain composure after the altercation.

“Those are emotional situations and everybody’s competitive and amped up after that,” Daigneault said. “But if you’re a true competitor, you channel that into execution, and that’s what we did.”

The Wizards, meanwhile, were unable to capitalize on the opportunity, dropping their eighth consecutive game to Oklahoma City.