OKC Thunder thriving with structured team play

The Oklahoma City Thunder has experienced significant success this season, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 118-108 on Sunday evening to improve to a league-best 37-8.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gave the Thunder 35 points on 12-for-25 shooting, a common theme for next month's All-Star starter. He is averaging an NBA-best 32.1 points per game, leading Oklahoma City scorers in 36 of his 42 2024-25 games.

While Gilgeous-Alexander's individual proficiency has been the driving force behind two consecutive No. 1 seeds, his supporting cast has made a vital impact this year — particularly on the defensive end.

Isaiah Hartenstein, who played after missing five games with a left calf strain, recorded 14 points, 12 rebounds (five offensive), six assists and a block against Portland. His presence helped hold the Trail Blazers to 15-for-41 (36.6%) 2-point shooting.

"I'm a team player and I feel like we play team basketball — offensively, defensively," Hartenstein said. "Having your whole team from top to bottom bought into team basketball makes us special."

With the game tied 27-27 at the start of the second quarter, Hartenstein and Isaiah Joe ran persistent two-man actions that led to extended passing sequences and quality looks. Oklahoma City created an 18-point lead before Gilgeous-Alexander checked back in midway through the frame.

"Obviously (Hartenstein) creates action very well and we kinda go hand-in-hand with that," Joe said. "On the offensive end, I think we played the right way. Ball was moving, had energy. Everybody out there was going. All five (players) contributed to that run."

Jalen Williams becomes Oklahoma City's primary playmaker at the start of the second and fourth quarters. Filtering out low leverage, lineups containing Williams and Hartenstein without Gilgeous-Alexander have registered a 119.5 offensive rating in 198 minutes, a 2.4-point increase from the No. 6 overall offensive rating.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams each obtain 70 or more touches per game and dominate the team's time of possession, which sits well with the rest of the rotation. While the Thunder has dealt with numerous injuries this season, 13 players have tallied at least 10 minutes per game — an impressive total for a contending team.

Oklahoma City possesses two-way star players and unselfish role players, providing consistent game plans and success.

"We have an MVP player playing great defense night in, night out. I think (Gilgeous-Alexander) leads the league in blocks from a guard. He makes the hustle plays, he's a team guy," Hartenstein said. "And then we have an All-Star in (Williams) who's, to me, probably one of the most underrated defenders in the league. He can play one through five."

The Thunder plays the Golden State Warriors on the road this Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 9 p.m. CST.

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.