Following a massive win over the Boston Celtics, the Oklahoma City Thunder took to the road where it took on the Atlanta Hawks.
OKC came into the game riding a five game win streak, boasting top five rankings in the NBA on both offense and defense. The Hawks on the other hand came in losers of four of their last five and in desperate need of a win.
Despite coming in cold, Atlanta exploded out of the gates, beginning the game on a 11-0 run and giving the Hawks an early edge.
The story of the first quarter was Atlanta’s ability to get to the free throw line. The Hawks shot 12 free throws, making eleven of them along with shooting 40% from three in the opening frame. OKC on the other hand continued to struggle, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander representing the only source of consistent offense for the Thunder.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored seven points and pulled in four rebounds, but was only able to muster a 1/6 start from the field.
The offensive woes for OKC led to a 14-point deficit after one, and tasked the non-SGA lineup to start the second with an uphill battle.
The Hawks offensive surge continued in the second quarter, behind strong showings from Bogdan Bogdanovic, Saddiq Bey, and Trae Young. Atlanta continued getting to the free throw line, bringing its total to 23 team free throws at the half.
Along with a high volume of foul shots, the Hawks also shot 50% from the field, opposed to just 43% for OKC.
The only Thunder scorer in double digits at the half was Aaron Wiggins, who scored 11 points in the same amount of minutes. Atlanta had four players over ten points, including 18 from Bogdanovic . The Hawks parlayed their strong offensive performance into a 76-59 lead at the break.
Behind Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC fought back within eight in the third quarter, but the overall inefficiency of the Thunder reduced the dent that could be put in the lead in just one quarter. While the team as a whole was able to keep above 50% from the field, Gilgeous-Alexander was responsible for the lions share of the attempts, and the typically reliable superstar struggled to score at the rate he typically does.
The Hawks on the other hand continued to attack from all angles. Every Atlanta starter and Bogdanovic had at least ten points before the third frame expired, while Gilgeous-Alexander was the only starter for OKC able to eclipse the ten point mark.
Despite OKC’s best efforts, Atlanta maintained a 13 point lead as the buzzer sounded.
Gilgeous-Alexander took his traditional rest to start the fourth, but OKC stayed within striking distance in those minutes, primarily fueled by Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
The MVP candidate entered the game with just under seven minutes left, trailing by eleven.
Gilgeous-Alexander spearheaded a late offensive surge that saw OKC claw within three late, with a shot to tie it with four seconds remaining.
The Thunder seemingly got into the exact action they wanted to, with Gilgeous-Alexander flashing out as a decoy and Josh Giddey hitting a cutting Williams as he darted to the rim.
Just as the defender collapsed onto Williams, he kicked the ball to the corner and into the hands of Isaiah Joe, who got a clean look at the game-tying shot as time expired.
The ball moved floated toward the rim, easily slipping off the fingers of OKC’s best three point shooter in a spot he loves to shoot from.
Everything was executed to perfection, but the ball bounced off the rim, down to the court and the buzzer sounded, resulting in a Hawks win, and an end to an impressive winning streak.
The tight turn around put OKC behind the eight ball from the jump, but the expectations of a contender are not fair, and despite the loss to Atlanta, the Thunder’s win over Boston put them in the upper echelon of NBA teams.
Oklahoma City returns to action on Friday when it travels to Brooklyn to take on the Nets, with a chance to respond to a tough road loss to an inferior opponent.
