The OKC Thunder didn’t just beat the Washington Wizards on Saturday night - they buried them.
Playing their third game in four nights, Oklahoma City rolled to a blowout win on its home floor and stretched its season record to 8-2. It was a clean response after back-to-back losses to the Mavericks and Rockets, and the kind of night that let the Thunder breathe a little easier.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was at the center of it again. He put up 30 points in only 29 minutes, then added nine assists against just two turnovers while finishing at a plus-21.
With the game well in hand, he was able to spend the entire fourth quarter on the bench, something that’s been rare this season. That kind of luxury was more common last year, when Oklahoma City could coast through the first three quarters and keep its MVP out of the final frame.
This season, that hasn’t happened nearly as often.
Jared McCain also kept the momentum rolling after shaking off a brutal stretch from deep. He had missed 18 straight 3-pointers across four different games, but the last two nights have looked much more like the version Oklahoma City needs.
On Friday, he erupted for 21 points and added a career-high four steals against the Grizzlies. Against Washington, he was even hotter early, scoring 17 points in the first half with the kind of pull-up threes that have become his calling card.
He finished with 19.
The Wizards, meanwhile, never found their footing on either end. Their offense never got to 80 points and they shot just 30% from the field.
Defensively, they had no answer for Oklahoma City’s pace or shot-making, as the Thunder hit 49% of their attempts and found easy looks all over the floor. The final margin told the story.
The night also belonged to the Thunder’s rookie big man, who has been steady all season and especially sharp in this one. He scored a career-high 18 points on 80% shooting and blocked three shots at the rim in 7-foot-4 fashion. He trailed only Gilgeous-Alexander and McCain in scoring, and he continues to look like a real piece for Oklahoma City alongside Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren and the rest of the frontcourt mix.
He finished things off with a moment he’ll remember: a 3-pointer, the first of his career. It was also his first triple attempt of the season, and he capped it with a grin toward the home crowd.
In Other News...
Thunder May Have Found Shai Gilgeous-Alexanders Surprise Scoring Help
The Thunder are trying to piece together offense while multiple key contributors are sidelined, and a rookie may have given them a timely answer. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carrying the scoring load, Oklahoma City got a strong lift from Aday Mara in a win over the Washington Wizards, the kind of performance that can change how a coaching staff thinks about minutes, touches and responsibility.
Mara has already shown enough in limited action to merit a longer look, especially with the roster thinned by injuries. The Thunder are weighing whether to expand his offensive role, a move that could help take some pressure off Gilgeous-Alexander while giving Oklahoma City another source of production as it navigates a stretched rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Add Another Young Wing As Rotation Questions Keep Building
The Thunder have added another young wing to the mix, acquiring Nique Clifford from the Kings for two second-round picks in 2028 and 2030. Clifford, a second-year player who had fallen out of Sacramentos rotation this season, arrived in the league as the 24th overall pick last year and gives Oklahoma City another developmental piece to sort through as it keeps building out the edges of its roster.
The move also comes with the usual fine print that follows this kind of transaction, since the Thunder still have to make room before the deal is fully finalized. For a team already juggling rotation questions and long-term roster decisions, the acquisition fits the broader pattern of adding talent first and sorting out the rest later. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Add Familiar Wing As Injuries Force A Timely Test
In the wake of a recent injury crunch, the Thunder made a move that brings a familiar wing back into the fold, sending two second-round picks to Sacramento for Nique Clifford. It is the kind of transaction Oklahoma City has been willing to make when the roster gets thin, especially for a player the front office already knows well.
Cliffords path makes the deal a little more interesting, since he was originally drafted by the Thunder before being sent to the Kings last year. Now he returns at a moment when the team needs depth and flexibility, and the next question is how quickly he can settle back into a system that once viewed him as part of the future. [Read more 🡒]