OKLAHOMA CITY — After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 10-point second-half comeback win against the Sacramento Kings, he discussed how his team managed to flip a switch during the game’s most critical moments. The Thunder went 5-for-32 from the floor in the third quarter, including 2-for-23 from inside the 3-point arc. Then, Oklahoma City’s defense held the Kings to 18 points in the final frame.
A 17-4 Thunder run closed out a 107-101 victory against the Kings. Without All-Star Jalen Williams, Isaiah Joe, and Chet Holmgren (back), who was ruled out hours before tip-off, guys like Aaron Wiggins, Ajay Mitchell, Jaylin Williams, and Alex Caruso stepped up in their absence.
After the win, Gilgeous-Alexander spoke to his team’s fight down the stretch, which willed the Thunder to a 5-0 start to the 2025-26 campaign.
“It’s just the DNA of this team, this group. We understand how to win basketball games, and tonight was a perfect display of that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They were making shots. We were missing shots. We fouled jump shooters a million times tonight. We had a lot of mental lapses. We fought through it really well as a group and as individuals — kept the game close enough, and then, when it was winning time, we did what it took to win.”
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points on 14-of-26 attempts, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and one steal. Wiggins has 18 points, six assists, and three blocks. Mitchell’s 18 points led the Thunder’s bench, and Lu Dort added 13 points and five rebounds.
The Thunder is one of four NBA teams still undefeated heading into the second week of the regular season, second in the Western Conference are the 4-0 San Antonio Spurs.
Mark Daigneault on SGA’s free-throw differentials for Thunder
Coach Mark Daigneault addressed Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s vast free-throw shooting differentials. Amid the Thunder’s back-to-back, Gilgeous-Alexander only attempted two free throws in each win against the Mavericks and Kings.
However, one week into the regular season, Daigneault says it’s too early to focus on free-throw shooting disparity for Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder.
“It’s five games into the season. It’s early in the year for every team. It’s early in the year for the officiating,” Daigneault said. “We need to get better right now — that’s what we need to focus on. We need to focus on what we can control. That’s how you get better. And we can’t control how they call the game. So, when we go in, we try to calibrate it as best we can and adjust to the whistle.”
In his last three outings, Gilgeous-Alexander is a combined 8-for-8 from the free-throw line after making 23-of-26 in a 141-135 double-overtime win against the Pacers, following his 10-for-14 mark from the line in the Thunder season opener.
