Balanced Scoring Attack Pushes OKC Thunder Ahead of Atlanta

Despite a rocky last few games, the Oklahoma City Thunder got back on track with a 135-119 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

In unusual fashion, the Thunder had a very balanced scoring attack against the Hawks. There were six double-digit scorers for Oklahoma City by the game's end, finding multiple ways to score the ball with different mediums.

OKC also made a change in the starting lineup, taking center Isaiah Hartenstein out and throwing Cason Wallace in for more defense on the Hawks' guards. Throwing forward Chet Holmgren at Atlanta big man Onyeka Okongwu. Holmgren would only play 15 minutes before leaving the game with a left ankle sprain.

It didn't take the Thunder long to get going in the first quarter, jumping ahead 25-11 in the first seven minutes. That balanced scoring attack was apparent early on, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort and Isaiah Joe all aiding in the quick scoring outburst. Joe also left the game after only 11 minutes of play due to lower-back soreness.

Holmgren and Joe were impactful in the limited minutes they played. Holmgren finished with seven points and four rebounds and Joe with 12 points and went 4-of-8 from both the field and three-point line.

As the game went on, so did Oklahoma City's lead. A lineup led by Gilgeous-Alexander racked up a 40-23 lead by the end of the first quarter and a 71-64 lead by the end of the half. Atlanta obviously did battle back, with guard Trae Young and Okongwu in assistance. The seven-point difference would end up being the smallest the deficit was for the rest of the game.

An off night for Young also helped in the eventual Thunder victory. Young finished with only 19 points on 5-for-14 shooting, but he did add 12 assists to his box score to make up for it. His shots simply did not fall and it seemed like nothing was going his way.

For the Thunder, it ended up being Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort leading the way in scoring. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points and Dort was on fire, finishing with 20 points and going 6-for-11 from the perimeter.

Oklahoma City continued to add to its lead in the second half, getting it up to 24 points at one point. Again, it was Dort and Gilgeous-Alexander taking the main load of scoring. The consistency of the OKC offense continued to bud and created no room for a comeback on behalf of Atlanta.

Despite some defensive lapses in recent games for the Thunder, OKC was back at it against Atlanta. They forced 19 turnovers and held the Hawks to 119 points. There were still shaky moments that head coach Mark Daigneault needs to work out, but it looks like his team is back on track in that department.

The fourth quarter was nothing but the same. Atlanta tried to make a late push with inside-scoring help from Young and Okongwu, but the Thunder defense got enough stops in the back end of the quarter to warrant the final result.

Part of this win must be attributed to OKC's three-point shooting. OKC went 23-for-50 from the field, good for 46% in total. That's a high number for the Thunder recently. The Thunder's next matchup comes soon against the beat-up San Antonio Spurs at 7:00 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 2, on the road.

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