Thunder Breeze Past Rockets in Final Game Before All-Star Break

In the Thunder’s final game before the All-Star Break, Oklahoma City took down the Houston Rockets 133-96. OKC’s victory improves the team’s season record to 28-29.

All-star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for the Thunder with 29 points, six assists, two rebounds two blocks. For the Rockets, rookie Jabari Smith Jr. scored a team-high 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds to go along with two assists, two blocks and two steals.

Oklahoma City got off to a great start, going 7-for-10 from the field to jump out to an early 15-5 lead that would result in a Houston timeout less than five minutes into the game. Prior to the break in action, rookie wing Jalen Williams scored two consecutive buckets on Rockets big man Alperen Sengun, one being a massive dunk over the former first round pick.

With four and a half minutes left in the first quarter, Dario Saric registered his first minutes in a Thunder jersey, quickly scoring a putback bucket to give OKC a 26-16 advantage. After veteran Kenrich Williams knocked down a mid-range shot that pushed Oklahoma City's lead to 14, Houston called another timeout.

In the final minute of the first frame, Saric and Gilgeous-Alexander both finished "and-one" layups in transition to give OKC a 38-21 lead heading into the second period.

Less than two minutes into the quarter, Saric connected on a 3-pointer to increase the Thunder's lead to 22. After a 3-point play by the Rockets, an impressive reverse layup between two defenders by Jeremiah Robinson-Earl pushed the score to 47-24.

A few moments later, Lindy Waters III checked into the game and knocked down two triples accompanied by putbacks from Kenrich Williams and Robinson-Earl that gave Oklahoma City a 62-34 lead with five minutes left in the first half.

A mid-range shot from Gilgeous-Alexander put OKC up by a whopping 31 points, the team's largest lead of the game. A quick run by Houston cut the Thunder's lead, but Oklahoma City still held a 76-54 advantage over the Rockets at halftime.

Rookie big man Jaylin Williams knocked down a long two to start the third quarter followed by a block on the other end of the floor. A few possessions later, Williams knocked down an uncontested triple to push OKC over 80 points.

Midway through the third quarter, second-year guard scorer Jalen Green was ruled out for the remainder of Wednesday night's contest with a groin injury. Green's absence gave Houston even more trouble on offense as the team began to fall even further behind.

Another 3-pointer from Jaylin Williams gave the Thunder a 96-62 lead with more than five minutes left in the third quarter. Oklahoma City was firing on all cylinders, with all 13 available players scoring at least four points.

OKC kept piling on, scoring easily and getting to the free throw line frequently to build a 116-78 lead heading into the final frame. The Thunder held a near-40-point lead the entire fourth quarter, going on to defeat the Rockets 133-96.

Oklahoma City will play again on Thursday, Feb. 23 when the team travels to Salt lake City to take on the Utah Jazz. Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams will represent OKC over the weekend at the All-Star Break.

Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder 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.

Add us as a preferred source on Google