Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points and Chet Holmgren added 18 as the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat the Houston Rockets 111-91 at Toyota Center on Thursday. Cason Wallace chipped in 17 off the bench as Oklahoma City outscored Houston 34-16 in the final frame to claim a fifth straight victory.
Kevin Durant led the Rockets with 19 points but struggled from beyond the arc, going 0-for-5 on three-pointers and 7-for-23 overall, as Houston made just 7-of-24 from deep. The Rockets fell behind despite outrebounding the Thunder 60-44.
The Thunder trailed by just two early in the fourth before an 11-2 run, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Ajay Mitchell and two from Wallace, put Oklahoma City ahead 90-79 with under nine minutes remaining. Later, Mitchell’s second triple sparked a 7-0 surge capped by a two-handed dunk from Jaylin Williams, prompting Houston coach Ime Udoka to call a timeout as the crowd began exiting.
Udoka received a technical foul during the timeout, allowing Gilgeous-Alexander to convert the free throw and extend Oklahoma City’s run to 14-0. Kenrich Williams added a three-pointer to make it 106-83 with two minutes left, while the Rockets went more than five minutes without scoring.
Oklahoma City shot 41-for-89 (46%) from the field and 16-for-41 (39%) from three, while converting 13-of-15 free throws (87%). Houston finished 35-for-104 (34%) overall, 7-for-24 (29%) on threes, and 14-of-17 (82%) at the line.
This was the second meeting between the teams this season, following a 125-124 double-overtime win for the Thunder in the season opener. The victory keeps Oklahoma City atop the Western Conference at 35-7, while Houston slips to 23-15.
The Thunder travel to Miami on Saturday night, and the Rockets return home to host the Minnesota Timberwolves.
