Thunder's offense explodes in a high-scoring thriller, overcoming a halftime deficit and Hawks' relentless attack to extend their winning streak.
The Thunder’s defense continues to show inconsistency in the month of December, but tonight the offense was enough to get OKC over the top in a shootout win over the Atlanta Hawks by a final score of 140-129 at Paycom Center.
It was a track meet early. The pace was high, shots were falling, and both teams traded tough buckets and three-pointers as Atlanta put up 74 points in the first half and carried a four-point lead into halftime.
But as things often do for this Thunder team, the third quarter flipped the game. Oklahoma City scored 43 points coming out of the break, a 14-point swing that changed the tone, and that’s when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander really started to heat up.
In the fourth quarter, the Thunder took care of business. Atlanta did get the game within two possessions in the clutch, but Oklahoma City finally tightened up defensively, got the stops it needed, and kept making shots on the other end to close it out.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 39 points on 15-of-22 shooting. Chet Holmgren produced 24 points of his own. Jalen Williams added 20 points to go with nine rebounds and seven assists and steadied things as the Hawks kept punching back.
Atlanta’s offense was legitimately impressive. Onyeka Okongwu scored 26 points, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker finished with 30. In fact, eight different Hawks scored nine points or more, which tells you just how many ways they were able to generate offense throughout the night.
But short-handed without Trae Young and Jalen Johnson, and with Kristaps Porzingis also out, the Hawks didn’t have enough late to steal it in Oklahoma City.
From here, the Thunder will look to keep building on a small winning streak, and they’ll be back at home on Wednesday against the Portland Trail Blazers to close out 2025 on New Year’s Eve.