Great Ball Movement and Hot Shooting Lead OKC to Blowout Win Over Brooklyn

Following its seventh loss of the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder responded with a 127-101 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, improving to 35-7 on the season.

OKC's injuries, a theme theme all season, continued to stack up ahead of this game. Center Isaiah Hartenstein was in the midst of his time out due to a lower-body injury and guard Jalen Williams was unavailable after dealing with a hip strain. Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was back after not playing in the prior loss to the Dallas Mavericks but only played 29 minutes while finishing with 27 points. Fortunately for him, his presence wasn't required for an extended period of time.

For the second time in the last five games, the Thunder got out to a lightning-fast start, mainly due to unusually efficient three-point shooting. OKC shot 9-for-13 from outside in the first quarter and jumped out to a quick lead, getting help from up and down its roster. Center Branden Carlson drilled a triple and forward Ousmane Dieng nailed two. Oklahoma City went on to shoot 19-for-43 from outside as the buzzer sounded, equating to 44.2%.

Throughout the matchup, OKC's ball movement was a massive separator. The Thunder finished with 37 assists at the game's end compared to Brooklyn's25. They finished with 19 in the first half which propelled them to a 69-49 lead at the end of the first two quarters.

Isaiah Joe's performance was another driving force behind Oklahoma City's substantial first-half lead. He finished with 15 points in the first half, shooting 5-for-6 from three, ending the game with 24 points on 8-for-10 shooting.

A 7-0 run to start the third quarter by the Nets struck some fear into OKC, making it a 16-point game. That momentum didn't last long, and the Thunder found peace below the three-point arc, hitting shots in the mid-range and paint areas. The plethora of assists also continued into the third quarter and beyond.

Oklahoma City averages 26 assists per game. The team blew that number out of the water against Brooklyn and shared the ball arguably the best they have all season. While doing that, they only turned the ball over 11 times and forced 13. OKC's decision-making and precision passing were on point with minimal errors.

The depths of the bench entered the game in the fourth quarter with first-round rookie Dillon Jones earning valuable court time alongside Aaron Wiggins, Jaylin Williams, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace. Jones finished with six points, playing in his first non-G League game since Jan. 2. His 19 minutes was the most he's played in an NBA game this season.

OKC had the opportunity to key in on its depth pieces off the bench, with many earning valuable minutes and playing quite well. Wiggins finished the night with 12 points in 26 minutes, adding five assists to his box score total. Dieng also earned his first meaningful minutes in quite a while, finishing with 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting.

OKC's next game is against the Utah Jazz at home, tipping off at 7:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Jan. 22.

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