Three Takeaways from OKC Thunder's Clean Win Past Washington Wizards

The Oklahoma City Thunder picked up a simple win over the struggling Washington Wizards on Monday night.

Dec 23, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots over Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

After a stretch of tough competition in recent weeks, the Oklahoma City Thunder was finally able to catch a break and coast to a victory Monday night.

The Thunder defeated the Washington Wizards 123-105 — a game that never felt like it was in any real possibility of losing after the first quarter. This was largely thanks to a history-making performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was nearly unstoppable all-game long.

Jordan Poole was able to score 31 points with seven assists on 9-of-20 shooting, but the Wizards offense was largely absent otherwise. As a team, they shot below 40% shooting from the field and turned the ball over 19 times.

Here are three takeaways from Oklahoma City's blowout win:

Shai Gets Buckets

Ever since his underwhelming performance against the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup Final, Gilgeous-Alexander has quickly shifted gears back into an MVP level.

The 26-year-old dropped 41 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks on 14-of-25 shooting from the field, making him the only player in Thunder/Seattle SuperSonics franchise history to record such a stat line. It sounds sort of like a performance Russell Westbrook could've had years ago, but even the former MVP couldn't.

Yes, Washington's defense is severely lackluster — holding the second-worst defensive rating in the entire league (118.1) — but it was still an impressive performance nevertheless. Jalen Williams, Luguentz Dort nor Isaiah Joe could ever really get it going offensively in the starting lineup, but Gilgeous-Alexander remained a constant for the entirety of the game.

Gilgeous-Alexander now ranks third in 40-point games for Oklahoma City, only behind future Hall of Famers Kevin Durant and Westbrook. As the season rolls along, he only puts his name higher up in the franchise's record books. Soon enough, he might earn the award both of those names eventually got during their time with the Thunder.

J-Will Returns

Up to yesterday, Jaylin Williams was the only player that hadn't yet played minutes for Oklahoma City due to a hamstring injury he sustrained training camp. Finally, he returned against the Wizards.

Though his three points and two assists in eight minutes aren't going to "wow" anyone, having Williams back is huge for the Thunder. Isaiah Hartenstein had sole reins of the center position since Chet Holmgren sustained his own injury, but now there's some help in the rotation.

The 3-pointer Williams drilled came immediately after he checked in for the first time and the Oklahoma City crowd gave him a roaring ovation. It was clear Paycom Center missed the big man.

"He is the ultimate 'compete together' player - his ability to endure a trying individual time for himself, professionally at least, and stay as spirited and inside the team is really a testament to his character and resilience," coach Mark Daigneault said on Williams' return.

Not only was Daigneault excited to have Williams back — his teammates certainly were too, including Gilgeous-Alexander.

"I can only imagine the feeling - getting back out there. Obviously the fans did a great job of warming him up... I'm happy for him," Gilgeous-Alexander said.

OKC's Defense is Above the Rest

Just as much as nearly every other game the Thunder has played in this season, its defense was one of the major catalysts to the win.

Oklahoma City recorded at least 15 steals as a collective unit for the 10th game of the year, with Gilgeous-Alexander, Joe and Kenrich Williams picking up three each. Across the NBA, there isn't a single other team to have more than four games with such a stat.

Every game, the talk around how dominant the Thunder defense is — even in relation to the all-time greatest defenses — gets more and more clear. No other team in the league right now can hold a candle to its versatility and ability to force turnovers, which is setting it apart from the rest of the Western Conference.

Defenders such as Dort, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace rank amongst the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, while Hartenstein has held down the fort in the place of one of its best shot blockers in Holmgren. When Gilgeous-Alexander — its leading scorer and offensive centerpiece — is elite on defense too, it just goes to show how bought-in every player on the roster is.

“I just try to affect the game any way I can every single possession," Gilgeous-Alexander said.

Even when Oklahoma City's offense falters, its defense is more than capable of winning games.

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