Game ID: 22300508
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Washington Wizards
Monday, January 8, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
WAS 30 31 36 31 128OKC 36 31 35 34 136
OKC @ WAS ScoutingOKC @ WAS Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
WAS availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Butler missed 3 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Shamet back 12/22 after 8, 12 min since (78% of 16)
BACK Wright back 12/26 after 20, 15 min since (109% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 12/22 after 3, 7 min since (53% of 13)
BACK Davis back 12/27 after 10, 6 min since (51% of 12)
WAS availability going into 1/03 · 2 days' restOUT Gallinari missed 2 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Butler missed 4 since 12/26, returns tonight: 9 min (62% of 14)
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 2 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Davis missed 2 since 12/29, returns tonight: 5 min (42% of 12)
BACK Shamet back 12/22 after 8, 14 min since (86% of 16)
BACK Wright back 12/26 after 20, 16 min since (115% of 14)
WAS availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Gallinari missed 3 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 3 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Butler back 1/03 after 4, 9 min since (62% of 14)
BACK Wright back 12/26 after 20, 17 min since (120% of 14)
BACK Davis back 12/27 after 10, 6 min since (47% of 12)
NEW Muscala 14 to 20 min over the last 4
WAS availability going into 1/06 · back-to-backOUT Gallinari missed 4 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 4 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Butler back 1/03 after 4, 7 min since (50% of 14)
BACK Davis back 12/27 after 10, 6 min since (48% of 12)
NEW Muscala 14 to 19 min over the last 5
WAS availability going into 1/08 · 1 day's restOUT Shamet missed 2 since 1/05, returns tonight: 16 min (103% of 16)
OUT Gallinari missed 5 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 5 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Butler back 1/03 after 4, 6 min since (42% of 14)
BACK Davis back 1/03 after 2, 5 min since (41% of 12)
NEW Muscala 14 to 21 min over the last 5
WAS availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Gallinari missed 6 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 6 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Shamet back 1/08 after 2, 16 min since (103% of 16)
BACK Butler back 1/03 after 4, 6 min since (42% of 14)
BACK Davis back 1/03 after 2, 5 min since (41% of 12)
WAS availability going into 1/13 · 2 days' restOUT Gallinari missed 7 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Butler missed 2 since 1/08, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 7 since 12/29, returns tonight: 18 min (140% of 13)
OUT Davis missed 2 since 1/08, out tonight
BACK Shamet back 1/08 after 2, 16 min since (103% of 16)
WAS availability going into 1/15 · 1 day's restOUT Shamet missed 2 since 1/10, returns tonight: 14 min (88% of 16)
OUT Gallinari missed 8 since 12/29, not on tonight's roster
OUT Butler missed 3 since 1/08, out tonight
OUT Davis missed 3 since 1/08, returns tonight: 1 min (9% of 12)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 1/13 after 7, 18 min since (140% of 13)
WAS availability going into 1/18 · 2 days' restOUT Butler missed 4 since 1/08, out tonight
BACK Shamet back 1/08 after 2, 15 min since (95% of 16)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 1/13 after 7, 16 min since (122% of 13)
BACK Davis back 1/15 after 3, 1 min since (9% of 12)
OKC availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 3 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Micić back 12/26 after 2, 15 min since (124% of 12)
OKC availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 4 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Micić back 12/26 after 2, 14 min since (117% of 12)
OKC availability going into 1/03 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 5 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Micić back 12/26 after 2, 13 min since (110% of 12)
OKC availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 6 since 12/26, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/08 · 2 days' restOUT Dieng missed 7 since 12/26, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 8 since 12/26, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/11 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 9 since 12/26, returns tonight: 23 min (225% of 10)
OKC availability going into 1/13 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 1/11 after 9, 23 min since (225% of 10)
OKC availability going into 1/15 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 1/11 after 9, 16 min since (154% of 10)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 15 free throws a game; Kuzma at 23 and Avdija at 16 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 15 a night. Without Shamet (2 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 118, shooting 53 percent and 43 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Holmgren at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where OKC has been minus-4 a night and Washington minus-15 and the arc, OKC at 43 percent from three to Washington's 34. Call it OKC 122, Washington 115.
12/31 vs ATL 126-130 — WAS notes
WAS lost 126-130. WAS shot 47% (46 of 98) to ATL's 49%, 17 of 53 from three, and got to the line 21 times to ATL's 37. The glass went 42-58 against them. Kuzma led with 38 (15 of 31, 7 of 18 from three); Avdija added 17, Kispert 15. Q4 was theirs, 39-30, the deficit cut from 13 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 100-87 against them. They led by as many as 13. Coulibaly's -18 in 17 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/03 @ CLE 101-140 — WAS notes
WAS lost 101-140. WAS shot 42% (42 of 101) to CLE's 53%, 12 of 35 from three. The glass went 36-62 against them. Kuzma led with 16 (7 of 12, 2 of 6 from three); Muscala added 12, Gafford 12. Q1 was theirs, 31-34, but the other 3 periods went 106-70 against them. Coulibaly's -24 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/05 @ CLE 90-114 — WAS notes
WAS lost 90-114. WAS shot 42% (35 of 84) to CLE's 53%, 9 of 30 from three, and got to the line 15 times to CLE's 23. WAS turned it over 16 times to CLE's 23. The glass went 31-52 against them. Jones led with 16 (6 of 10, 4 of 6 from three); Coulibaly added 15, Avdija 13. Q4 was theirs, 31-30, the deficit cut from 25 to 24, but the other 3 periods went 84-59 against them. Avdija's -22 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/06 vs NYK 105-121 — WAS notes
WAS lost 105-121. WAS shot 47% (40 of 85) to NYK's 49%, 13 of 37 from three. WAS turned it over 20 times to NYK's 14, and NYK turned those into 9 steals. Kuzma led with 27 (10 of 21, 4 of 10 from three); Avdija added 23, Jones 11. Q3 was theirs, 32-28, the deficit cut from 20 to 16, but the other 3 periods went 93-73 against them. Coulibaly's -22 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/08 vs OKC 128-136 — WAS notes
WAS lost 128-136. WAS shot 49% (44 of 89) to OKC's 59%, 15 of 32 from three. Poole led with 24 (8 of 17, 4 of 8 from three); Kuzma added 22, Jones 18. Q3 was theirs, 36-35, the deficit cut from 6 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 101-92 against them. Avdija's -20 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/10 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 130 a night and allowing 122, shooting 52 percent and 34 from three, 26 free throws a game; Mathurin at 21 and Haliburton at 18 a game. One day's rest. Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 128, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Avdija at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 13 a night. One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Indiana has been minus-3 a night and Washington minus-13 and the line, where Indiana takes 26 free throws a game to Washington's 19. Call it Indiana 129, Washington 117, Indiana by 12.
1/13 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 133, shooting 46 percent and 32 from three, 31 free throws a game; Murray at 26 and Young at 22 a game. Without Hunter (10 straight), Krejčí (9 straight), Mathews (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 125, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Kuzma at 17 and Avdija at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 11 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Atlanta has been minus-2 a night and Washington minus-11 and the line, where Atlanta takes 31 free throws a game to Washington's 21. Call it Atlanta 124, Washington 119.
1/15 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 116, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Kuzma at 20 and Avdija at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Shamet (2 straight). One day's rest. Detroit comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 123, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 18 free throws a game; Bogdanović at 18 and Duren at 17 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Cunningham (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Washington wins, and the game turns on the line, where Washington takes 24 free throws a game to Detroit's 18 and the defense, Washington allowing 116 a night to Detroit's 123. Call it Washington 119, Detroit 115, Detroit keeping it close.
1/18 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 100, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Randle at 24 and Brunson at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without Robinson (20 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 119, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 23 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Poole at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-10 a night and Washington minus-5 and the defense, New York allowing 100 a night to Washington's 119. Call it New York 118, Washington 110.
12/31 vs BKN 124-108 — OKC notes
OKC won 124-108. OKC shot 54% (45 of 83) to BKN's 38%, 18 of 33 from three, and got to the line 20 times to BKN's 31. OKC turned it over 13 times to BKN's 6, and BKN turned those into 9 steals. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 24 (7 of 15, 9 of 9 at the line); Giddey added 20, Holmgren 18. The hinge was Q3, 30-23: a lead of 3 became 10, and the lead reached 21. Holmgren was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
1/02 vs BOS 127-123 — OKC notes
OKC won 127-123. OKC shot 53% (48 of 91) to BOS's 46%, 18 of 40 from three, and got to the line 17 times to BOS's 29. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 36 (14 of 22, 3 of 5 from three, 5 of 8 at the line); Giddey added 23, Jal. Williams 16. The hinge was Q3, 40-25: OKC came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 18. OKC trailed 58-61 at the half and won the second half 69-62. Giddey was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
1/03 @ ATL 138-141 — OKC notes
OKC lost 138-141. OKC shot 55% (50 of 91) to ATL's 51%, 18 of 36 from three, and got to the line 26 times to ATL's 33. The glass went 37-49 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 33 (11 of 24, 2 of 3 from three, 9 of 11 at the line); Jal. Williams added 21, Wallace 15. Q4 was theirs, 35-25, the deficit cut from 13 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 116-103 against them. Wallace's -16 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/05 @ BKN 115-124 — OKC notes
OKC lost 115-124. OKC shot 54% (45 of 84) to BKN's 45%, 9 of 31 from three, and got to the line 24 times to BKN's 33. The glass went 36-51 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 34 (11 of 19, 2 of 5 from three, 10 of 15 at the line); Jal. Williams added 20, Holmgren 17. Q4 was theirs, 36-23, the deficit cut from 22 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 101-79 against them. K. Williams's -12 in 12 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/08 @ WAS 136-128 — OKC notes
OKC won 136-128. OKC shot 59% (52 of 88) to WAS's 49%, 14 of 28 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 32 (11 of 17, 2 of 3 from three, 8 of 10 at the line); Holmgren added 31, Jal. Williams 21. The hinge was Q1, 36-30: from level to 6 ahead. Jal. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
1/10 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 112, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 28 free throws a game; Adebayo at 23 and Herro at 19 a game. Without Butler III (4 straight), Martin (6 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 125, shooting 55 percent and 46 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Jal. Williams at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 46 percent from three to Miami's 34 and the defense, Miami allowing 112 a night to OKC's 125. Call it OKC 117, Miami 116, Miami keeping it close.
1/11 vs POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 129 a night and allowing 127, shooting 56 percent and 43 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Holmgren at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 123, shooting 42 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Grant at 18 and Simons at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Ayton (8 straight), Walker (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 43 percent from three to Portland's 34 and the turnovers, Portland giving it away 16 times a game to OKC's 12. Call it OKC 123, Portland 112, OKC by 11.
1/13 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 118, shooting 57 percent and 42 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Holmgren at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 116, shooting 44 percent and 41 from three, 24 free throws a game; Banchero at 31 and Suggs at 18 a game. Without F. Wagner (4 straight), Carter Jr. (4 straight), Gar. Harris (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: OKC wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it OKC 122, Orlando 113.
1/15 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 124, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 26 free throws a game; Davis at 24 and James at 22 a game. They have lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Vincent (12 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 110, shooting 55 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Holmgren at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 110 a night to the Lakers' 124 and the glass, where OKC has been plus-1 a night and the Lakers minus-6. Call it OKC 121, the Lakers 115.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
OKCAW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
IJ I. Joe
JG J. Giddey
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
WASBC B. Coulibaly
CK C. Kispert
DA D. Avdija
DG D. Gafford
DW D. Wright
JP J. Poole
KK K. Kuzma
LS L. Shamet
MM M. Muscala
TJ T. Jones
OKC/WAS the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren lead Thunder past Wizards 136-128
WASHINGTON -- — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points, Chet Holmgren added 31 and the Oklahoma City Thunder led most of the way in a 136-128 victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday night.
Jalen Williams added 21 points and 10 assists for the Thunder, who avoided a third loss following defeats at Atlanta and Brooklyn to begin a four-game road trip.
“I thought our intensity and how hard we played tonight was much, much better,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. “And there were times in those other two games where we gave up a lot of unearned stuff. I didn’t think much tonight was unearned.”
Williams' assists were part of a season-high 37 for Oklahoma City. Josh Giddey had nine, while Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren each added five.
“When everybody gets the feel for the game, we’re really tough to guard,” said Isaiah Joe , who had 16 points from the bench.
Oklahoma City, which entered as the NBA's second-best shooters, went 59.1% (52 of 88) from the floor and 50% (14 of 28) from 3-point range, narrowly missing season highs in both categories.
Holmgren spearheaded that effort, making 11 of 14 shots and going 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.
“Very unique skill set for a guy with his length and size,” Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. said, praising the 7-foot-1 rookie Holmgren. “He’ll get more comfortable as he gets a little stronger. But just his versatility, his length and size of course and at the rim defensively.”
Jordan Poole scored 24 points, and Kyle Kuzma added 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in Washington's fifth-straight defeat.
Tyus Jones added 18 points and had nine assists for the Wizards, who lost despite going 46.9% (15 of 32) from 3-point range.
But Kuzma — Washington's leader in average 3s made and attempted — missed on all five of his attempts from beyond the arc. And after his layup pulled Washington to within 100-97 late in the third, Gilgeous-Alexander answered with a driving bank shot before the period expired.
Williams' 11 fourth-quarter points helped ensure the Thunder maintained a multiple-possession lead for the remainder of the contest, even though it never grew larger than 13.
“Down the stretch, we still played with each other,” Williams said. “We were still moving the ball.”