Thunder Fall to Hawks in Offensive Showdown

In a contest that went down to the wire, Oklahoma City fell just short of a hard-fought victory against Atlanta.

Following their thrilling victory against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday evening, the Oklahoma City Thunder were defeated by the Atlanta Hawks 137-132 at the Paycom Center on Wednesday night, dropping OKC’s record to 23-25.

The Thunder were, as usual, led by fifth-year guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished the contest with 36 points, seven assists, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks. For the Hawks, Norman native Trae Young tallied 33 points and 11 assists.

OKC and Atlanta went back and forth in opening frame. The Thunder were able to build a 22-15 lead midway through the first quarter, but the Hawks quickly clawed back, cutting Oklahoma City's lead to two after an interior bucket from big man John Collins. 

Moments later, French rookie Ousmane Dieng made his first NBA appearance since Dec. 5 after suffering a broken wrist. The two squads continued to battle, and Atlanta eventually took a 39-36 lead following a deep 3-pointer from Young. 

On the next possession, sharpshooter Isaiah Joe knocked down a triple form the corner after falling down earlier in play. Joe's game-tying shot kicked off a 7-0 OKC run that gave the Thunder a 43-39 lead heading into the second period.

After a Dieng triple early in the second quarter, Oklahoma City's lead was back to seven. Once again, however, the Hawks found their way back into the game. 

All-Star guard Dejounte Murray hit consecutive mid-range shots to give Atlanta a 52-50 advantage. A few possessions later, Joe, Young and Aaron Wiggins nailed consecutive triples that would put OKC back up by one. 

Neither offense slowed in the final minutes of the first half, and after three consecutive "and-one" layups as well as a technical free throw by Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder were up 77-75 with three seconds remaining in the second quarter. With 0.1 seconds left on the clock, Young was fouled, and would tie the game at 77 heading into the break. 

At halftime, Oklahoma City's star had a whopping 26 points, going 9-of-11 from the field and 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. 

Early in the third quarter, a layup from Murray put Atlanta ahead, but OKC regained the lead behind a 7-1 run that included a Gilgeous-Alexander dunk in transition and a Lu Dort triple. Once again, the Hawks fought back and tied the game at 87. 

After trading blows for a few moments, the Hawks went on a 10-2 run that gave Atlanta a 102-99 lead. Veteran big man Mike Muscala tied the game with a 3-pointer, but the Hawks continued to roll offensively, building up a 109-104 lead to closeout the third period.

Atlanta's lead grew to 15 early in the fourth quarter, and with Gilgeous-Alexander resting on the bench, the Thunder had no answer for the Hawks offensive flurry. Coming out of a Mark Daigneault timeout, a triple from Wiggins, two layups from Josh Giddey and a Jalen Williams transition dunk brought Oklahoma City within six, resulting in an Atlanta timeout.  

The Hawks scored five quick points coming out of the timeout, pushing their lead back to double digits. OKC embarked on another 7-0 run, bringing the Thunder back within six with three minutes left in the game. 

In the final moment, OKC trailed by seven, but after two quick buckets and a Jalen Williams steal and slam dunk, the Thunder were within one with just 15 seconds left.

Oklahoma City, however, could not complete the comeback, falling 137-132.

The Thunder will return to action at 7 P.M. CT on Friday in OKC against the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

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