The Oklahoma City Thunder (8-1) dominated the Houston Rockets (5-4) 126-107 on Friday night, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren each scoring 29 points to lead the way.
Oklahoma City bounced back from a tough loss to Denver earlier in the week, opening a six-game homestand with a convincing victory. The Thunder controlled the game from start to finish, outpacing Houston after a tight first quarter that ended 31-all.
Gilgeous-Alexander was in excellent form, hitting 10 of his first 11 field goals. He didn’t attempt a three-pointer until his 13th shot, which he made to give Oklahoma City a 96-73 lead in the third quarter.
Holmgren, the 7-foot center, was also impressive, making 8 of 14 field goals and knocking down 4 of 6 from beyond the arc.
The Thunder’s offense was clicking, with a 51.1% shooting performance and a season-high 20 of 23 free throws made.
The Rockets struggled to find a rhythm, shooting just 43.3% from the field. Dillon Brooks was the top scorer for Houston, putting up 17 points, but the Rockets’ top two players, Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, were held in check by Oklahoma City’s defense. Green finished with 14 points on 5-for-14 shooting, while Sengun managed just 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting.
As Oklahoma City pulled away, they maintained their high shooting percentages, finishing the game with 61.9% shooting from the field and 52.9% from three-point range in the first half alone.
