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OKLAHOMA CITY — Fresh off a first-seed clinch with a month left until the NBA playoffs, OKC's second cupcake opponent of the week turned into a three-hour celebration of the season-long accomplishment. The regular starters needed to knock off some rust after a mini-vacation and a tanking squad was the perfect matchup.
The Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the short-handed Charlotte Hornets in a 141-106 win. Little doubt existed about the outcome as the Thunder led wire-to-wire as by as many as 35 points.
The Thunder created a 25-6 lead over the Hornets. The latter struggled to score without a true playmaker as they endured a four-minute drought that put them behind double-digit points. OKC exited the first quarter with a 34-14 advantage.
Both teams exchanged buckets in the second quarter. The Hornets got hot from the outside but the Thunder kept up. They scored 32 points and entered halftime with a commanding 66-49 lead. Out of the break, Charlotte had one final push to make the score interesting.
The Hornets went on an 11-2 run to shave off the Thunder's lead. DaQuan Jeffries' corner 3-pointer made it a 75-65 contest with eight minutes left in the third quarter. After a timeout, OKC stood up like it played a video game and went on a fast 18-0 run to make it a lopsided contest again.
Gilgeous-Alexander only needed three quarters to reach 30 points. The Thunder left the third frame with a 103-76 lead. That turned the fourth quarter trivial as OKC sat out its starters for most of it.
The Thunder shot 57% from the field and went 21-of-39 (53.8%) from 3. They shot 12-of-17 on free throws. They had 29 assists on 54 baskets. Eight Thunder players scored double-digit points. All 13 OKC players played and scored points.
Gilgeous-Alexander had an efficient 30 points and nine assists. Chet Holmgren tallied 14 points. Isaiah Hartenstein logged a 12-point double-double. Jaylin Williams totaled 14 points, five rebounds and four assists. Isaiah Joe had 14 points. Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins and Kenrich Williams each scored 11 points.
Meanwhile, the Hornets shot 46% from the field and went 19-of-41 (46.3%) from 3. They shot 13-of-13 on free throws. They had 29 assists on 37 baskets. Seven Hornets players scored double-digit points.
Without several of their best players, Miles Bridges led the way with 20 points on 5-of-12 shooting and four assists. Nick Smith Jr. had 14 points. Moussa Diabate and Josh Green each had 12 points. Seth Curry and Jeffries each had 11 points. KJ Simpson finished with 10 points and eight assists.
It was business as usual for the Thunder. The writing was on the wall with how this contest would turn out once the Hornets revealed who'd be out. Both franchises are on opposite sides of the NBA highway as OKC is a title contender and Charlotte hopes to add another blue-chip prospect. A lopsided affair was about as easy to predict as today's weather.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A
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After a four-day vacation, Gilgeous-Alexander returned to action. This was the perfect tune-up game as the lowly Hornets have zero players to hinder the MVP candidate — fully healthy or not.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting, nine assists and six rebounds. He shot 2-of-2 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had a steal.
Against Jusuf Nurkic, Gilgeous-Alexander attacked the slow-footed center. All but a couple of his baskets were inside of the paint. The drive-heavy scorer had no problem slashing through the Hornets' defense to an easy 30-point outing without breaking a sweat.
It was a hot start with 13 points in the first quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander put his finishing touches with 11 points in the third quarter. He only logged 29 minutes before he sat out the entire fourth frame. That's been a theme with how often the Thunder blow teams out.
Chet Holmgren: B
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Jeffries wanted his moment. Back in his home state, he ran baseline to get a poster on Holmgren. That'd be a career highlight for the journeyman. Instead, Holmgren ruined it with a block. Diabate tried to do it himself when he grabbed the offensive rebound but was also rejected.
Back-to-back swats were Holmgren's defensive highlights. He finished with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting, five rebounds and three blocks. He shot 1-of-2 from 3 and went 1-of-4 on free throws. He had three blocks and one steal. He only played 28 minutes as he also sat out the fourth quarter.
It was another game where Holmgren played within the flow of the offense. Despite several notable absences tempting him to do more and pad his stats a little, the seven-footer took what was given to him and played his role in this easy win.
Holmgren had two get-right games this week against East bottom-feeders. That should help his confidence as he gains a flow heading into the playoffs after being out for three months.
Isaiah Hartenstein: B-minus
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As the entire OKC crowd held its breath, Hartenstein's outside attempt hit the front of the rim. Rats. He's yet to hit an outside look this season as he's now missed 16 straight. That was the only thing that went wrong in the 26-year-old's performance.
Hartenstein finished with 12 points on 6-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds and four assists. He shot 0-of-1 from 3 and went 0-of-1 on free throws. He also had a block. He only logged 25 minutes before he sat out the fourth quarter.
It was another productive start for the Holmgren-Hartenstein duo. The rest of the regular season will be about the double-big pairing with the first seed locked up. The two seven-footers' chemistry has improved as they connect on plays consistently.
Cason Wallace: B-plus
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Poking the ball out of Simpson's possession, Wallace ran the fastbreak and threw down a jam. It didn't take long for the 21-year-old to take advantage of the vacated possessions with Jalen Williams and Lu Dort out.
Wallace finished with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting, five assists and three rebounds. He shot 1-of-3 from 3. He had two steals and a block.
Already ridiculously deep as is, Wallace's ascension as a scorer makes the Thunder nearly impossible to guard. He no longer feels limited in his role and can drive to the basket and kiss the ball off the glass for a crafty bucket.
Highlights:
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder dominate Hornets in 141-106 win
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