Thunder Dominate Rockets in Rematch, Breaking Franchise Record

The Oklahoma City Thunder, days after losing to the Houston Rockets, got their revenge. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander set the tone early as the Thunder dominated throughout the entire game, finishing with an 153-121 win.

Gilgeous-Alexander was feeling it in the first quarter, as he scored a career-high 20 first quarter points, setting the tone. For reference, the Thunder led the Rockets 38-19 at the end of the first, meaning the 6-foot-6 guard outscored the Rockets in the first frame.

After the start the Thunder had against the Rockets in the two teams’ last matchup, this start was a complete turnaround.

So, Gilgeous-Alexander had set the tone, and the lineup to open the second quarter answered. They pushed the lead behind Jaylin Williams’ infectious energy and Ousmane Dieng’s timely plays. Josh Giddey had a solid quarter, too. The execution came from nearly everyone who checked in.

Gilgeous-Alexander checked in at the same time as usual, and scored eight more points to set a career high of 28 first half points, which helped the Thunder tie a season record of 79 points in the half. The Thunder lead 79-53 at halftime.

Jaylin Williams drew two charging fouls against Alperen Sengun, which pushed him to four fouls in the first half.

As if the big first half wasn’t enough, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 14 third-quarter points to get his total to 42 points on the game. The All-Star was too good early in the game, so he didn’t get a chance to set a new career high in the final frame.

The threes kept coming and the Thunder kept their foot on the petal in the third quarter. They got up by as much as 43 points, which is good for a season high.

The game was essentially wrapped up through three quarters. Giddey, still 20-years-old, played the first few minutes of the fourth before being checked out, and Gilgeous-Alexander never checked in. The game finished with a final score of 153-121, giving the Thunder a new franchise record. 

In 30 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander racked up 42 points on 14-of-23 shooting and Josh Giddey added 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 10 assists. The Thunder’s second leading scorer was Mike Muscala, who had 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 5-of-8 on 3-pointers.

By the quarter, the Thunder scored 38, 41, 44 and 30 points. They got better by quarter and never let off the gas, even when they had built a 43-point lead.

With the win, the Thunder are 25-27 on the season and remain in the mix for the Play-In. Their next matchup is next Monday in the bay area against the Golden State Warriors. 

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