The Oklahoma City Thunder took down the Atlanta Hawks, 135-119, at State Farm Arena to kick off the weekend. For the second straight contest, the Hawks’ opponent hit 23 triples (23-50). In addition, the Thunder forced Atlanta into 19 turnovers and scored 19 points off those miscues. Most of those came in transition, where Oklahoma City outscored the home team, 23-14, in fastbreak points at a 72% clip. Jalen Williams, Isaiah Joe, and Luguentz Dort combined to shoot 14-27 from downtown. Atlanta also shot well from distance, making 15 of its 36 triples, but those numbers did not come close to the red-hot Thunder.
For most of the first quarter, the Hawks had trouble contesting Joe on the perimeter when he worked off Isaiah Hartenstein’s brick wall screens. Clint Capela played in drop coverage late in the quarter, and if the primary defender did not navigate the pick fast enough, the shooter had an open, rhythm look. In contrast, Atlanta fell right into Oklahoma City’s trap on defense. The Hawks had seven turnovers in the first 10 minutes, to put them behind the eight ball quickly, and the Thunder built a 40-23 lead in the opening frame.
The Thunder built a 19-point lead early in the second quarter, looking comfortable on both ends. However, Atlanta stole all the momentum when Onyeka Okongwu converted two straight three-point plays and Caris LeVert hit a triple to underline a 14-2 run. The Hawks cut their deficit to 71-64 at half with a 41-point frame, holding the visitors to just two points over the final 3:39 of the first half.
Trae Young did not have a field goal in the first half, but he hit two quick threes to start the third frame. After maintaining a slim three-possession lead, Oklahoma City’s defensive prowess kicked in. It went on an 18-3 run to close the quarter, opening the largest lead of the game 27 points. The Hawks went scoreless from 4:51-0:52 on the game clock and turned the ball over six times in the frame. Atlanta cut the deficit to 14 with a 12-4 run early in the second. The Hawks almost brought back the Thunder’s lead below double digits, 120-109, but turned the ball over on three of the next four possessions to seal their fate.
Okongwu collected 23 points and 13 rebounds. LeVert added 23 points of his own. Trae Young scored 19 points and 12 dimes but shot 5-14 from the field.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points after dropping 20 in the second half, while Williams had 20 with eight assists. Dort converted 6-11 from beyond the arc for 20 points, and Joe hit all four of his triples in the first half.
The Hawks go back on the road to face the Memphis Grizzlies in next week’s game slate.
