OKC Thunder Crush Wizards, Win Fourth Straight
On Thunder Legacy Night, the team welcomed back former players to watch something they often did: beat up on a bad team.
The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Washington Wizards 147-106 at Paycom Center on Friday in their third-largest win this season. The victory extended the Thunder’s winning streak to four and moved them to 16-4 against the East.
Against most other teams, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might have been able to get a triple-double. But without needing to play the fourth quarter against the Wizards, he finished with 30 points, seven rebounds and nine assists.
The Wizards looked to cut into the lead to start the second half, but the Thunder never allowed them to make up much ground. The end of the third looked much like the first half as the Thunder extended their lead to 36.
As the Thunder begin one of their easiest stretches of the rest of the season, getting a win on the second night of a back-to-back was crucial. With a 23-point halftime lead, they came out with authority.
Among Oklahoma City’s 80 first-half points, the big three combined for 50. With Gilgeous-Alexander’s 20 and Chet Holmgren’s 19 leading the way, Oklahoma City shot 72.7% in the half, tying the best mark in team history.
Although Washington was heavily outmatched throughout the game, the bench duo of Corey Kispert and Jordan Poole was a bright spot. Kispert and Poole combined for 41 points and helped their team keep the game respectable throughout the first half.
Kenrich Williams’ three straight 3-pointers late in the first quarter helped Oklahoma City gain some separation and get its first double-digit lead. With its highest-scoring first quarter this season, Oklahoma City took a 41-28 lead into the second quarter.
After a scoreless debut on Thursday, Gordon Hayward scored his first points with Thunder on a short jumper in the second quarter on his way to an eight-point night. As Mark Daigneault emptied the bench in the fourth quarter, Bismack Biyombo and Adam Flagler made their Thunder debuts.
Those players could have another opportunity to play on Sunday when the Thunder face the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.
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