Game ID: 22500455
Atlanta Hawks @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Monday, December 29, 2025 at 8:00 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 35 35 43 27 140ATL 38 36 29 26 129
ATL @ OKC ScoutingATL @ OKC 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.
OKC availability going into 12/22 · 2 days' restOUT J. Williams missed 2 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Dieng missed 2 since 12/18, out tonight
BACK Dort back 12/10 after 3, 23 min since (88% of 26)
BACK Hartenstein back 12/19 after 7, 28 min since (114% of 24)
BACK Joe back 12/18 after 3, 18 min since (89% of 20)
BACK Caruso back 12/10 after 4, 17 min since (88% of 19)
NEW Carlson 12 to 17 min over the last 3
OKC availability going into 12/23 · back-to-backOUT Wiggins missed 2 since 12/19, returns tonight: 11 min (58% of 19)
OUT J. Williams missed 3 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Dieng missed 3 since 12/18, out tonight
BACK Dort back 12/10 after 3, 25 min since (95% of 26)
BACK Hartenstein back 12/19 after 7, 28 min since (114% of 24)
BACK Joe back 12/18 after 3, 18 min since (93% of 20)
BACK Caruso back 12/10 after 4, 17 min since (88% of 19)
NEW Carlson 12 to 18 min over the last 3
OKC availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT J. Williams missed 4 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Dieng missed 4 since 12/18, out tonight
BACK Hartenstein back 12/19 after 7, 27 min since (110% of 24)
BACK Joe back 12/18 after 3, 18 min since (90% of 20)
BACK Wiggins back 12/23 after 2, 11 min since (58% of 19)
OKC availability going into 12/28 · 2 days' restOUT Mitchell missed 2 since 12/23, returns tonight: 20 min (76% of 26)
OUT J. Williams missed 5 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Dieng missed 5 since 12/18, out tonight
BACK Hartenstein back 12/19 after 7, 26 min since (106% of 24)
BACK Joe back 12/18 after 3, 17 min since (87% of 20)
BACK Wiggins back 12/23 after 2, 13 min since (66% of 19)
OKC availability going into 12/29 · back-to-backOUT J. Williams missed 6 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Dieng missed 6 since 12/18, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/28 after 2, 20 min since (76% of 26)
BACK Hartenstein back 12/19 after 7, 24 min since (100% of 24)
BACK Wiggins back 12/23 after 2, 16 min since (84% of 19)
OKC availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT J. Williams missed 7 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Dieng missed 7 since 12/18, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/28 after 2, 22 min since (83% of 26)
BACK Wiggins back 12/23 after 2, 15 min since (78% of 19)
OKC availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Hartenstein missed 2 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT J. Williams missed 8 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Dieng missed 8 since 12/18, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/28 after 2, 22 min since (84% of 26)
BACK Wiggins back 12/23 after 2, 16 min since (85% of 19)
OKC availability going into 1/04 · 1 day's restOUT Hartenstein missed 3 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT J. Williams missed 9 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Dieng missed 9 since 12/18, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/28 after 2, 23 min since (87% of 26)
OKC availability going into 1/05 · back-to-backOUT Hartenstein missed 4 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT J. Williams missed 10 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Dieng missed 10 since 12/18, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/28 after 2, 24 min since (90% of 26)
ATL availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restOUT Porziņģis missed 5 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Young back 12/18 after 22, 20 min since (72% of 28)
ATL availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Porziņģis missed 6 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Young back 12/18 after 22, 23 min since (83% of 28)
ATL availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT Porziņģis missed 7 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Young back 12/18 after 22, 26 min since (92% of 28)
ATL availability going into 12/27 · back-to-backOUT Porziņģis missed 8 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Young back 12/18 after 22, 27 min since (98% of 28)
ATL availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Porziņģis missed 9 since 12/06, out tonight
ATL availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Porziņģis missed 10 since 12/06, returns tonight: 17 min (71% of 24)
NEW Okongwu 31 to 36 min over the last 5
ATL availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Young missed 2 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 12/31 after 10, 17 min since (71% of 24)
NEW Newell 11 to 17 min over the last 5
ATL availability going into 1/03 · back-to-backOUT Young missed 3 since 12/29, not on tonight's roster
BACK Porziņģis back 12/31 after 10, 17 min since (71% of 24)
ATL availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restBACK Porziņģis back 12/31 after 10, 17 min since (71% of 24)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 113, shooting 47 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. Without J. Williams (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Atlanta comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 132, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Johnson at 24 and Young at 24 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 11 a night. Without Porziņģis (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 113 a night to Atlanta's 132 and the glass, where OKC has been minus-1 a night and Atlanta minus-11. Call it OKC 122, Atlanta 115.
12/22 vs MEM 119-103 — OKC notes
OKC won 119-103. OKC shot 49% (46 of 94) to MEM's 41%, 15 of 39 from three, and got to the line 14 times to MEM's 23. OKC turned it over 13 times to MEM's 21. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 (11 of 20, 3 of 4 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); J. Williams added 24, Mitchell 16. The hinge was Q2, 36-26: a lead of 3 became 13, and the lead reached 18. K. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
12/23 @ SAS 110-130 — OKC notes
OKC lost 110-130. OKC shot 54% (46 of 85) to SAS's 57%, 12 of 30 from three, and got to the line 7 times to SAS's 24. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 33 (14 of 22, 1 of 4 from three); J. Williams added 17, Dort 15. Q2 was theirs, 31-27, turning a 2-point deficit into a 2-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 103-79 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander's -17 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/25 vs SAS 102-117 — OKC notes
OKC lost 102-117. OKC took 11 more shots (95 to 84), fed by 16 offensive rebounds, but shot 39% to SAS's 54%, 11 of 44 from three. OKC turned it over 7 times to SAS's 12. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 22 (7 of 19, 1 of 6 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Hartenstein added 13, J. Williams 12. Q4 was theirs, 23-22, the deficit cut from 16 to 15, but the other 3 periods went 95-79 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander's -15 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/28 vs PHI 129-104 — OKC notes
OKC won 129-104. OKC shot 57% (50 of 87) to PHI's 42%, 10 of 28 from three. OKC turned it over 13 times to PHI's 23. Holmgren led with 29 (12 of 17, 2 of 4 from three); Gilgeous-Alexander added 27, Wiggins 15. The hinge was Q3, 38-24: a lead of 2 became 16, and the lead reached 27. Holmgren was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
12/29 vs ATL 140-129 — OKC notes
OKC won 140-129. OKC shot 54% (53 of 98) to ATL's 47%, 12 of 32 from three, and went to the line 23 times to ATL's 17 — 22 points from the stripe to their 12. The glass went 49-38 for them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 39 (15 of 24, 2 of 5 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Holmgren added 24, J. Williams 20. The hinge was Q3, 43-29: OKC came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 10, and the lead reached 15. OKC trailed 70-74 at the half and won the second half 70-55. Wallace was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
12/31 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 120 a night and allowing 117, shooting 51 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Holmgren at 18 a game. Without J. Williams (7 straight). One day's rest. Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 114, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 25 free throws a game; Avdija at 25 and Sharpe at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Holiday (21 straight), Grant (6 straight), Henderson (33 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Portland giving it away 17 times a game to OKC's 12 and the line, where Portland takes 25 free throws a game to OKC's 19. Call it OKC 120, Portland 112.
1/02 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 117, shooting 50 percent and 35 from three, 26 free throws a game; Ste. Curry at 28 and Butler III at 19 a game. Without Kuminga (6 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 115, shooting 51 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Holmgren at 16 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Hartenstein (2 straight), J. Williams (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Golden State wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Golden State giving it away 15 times a game to OKC's 12. Call it Golden State 118, OKC 117, OKC keeping it close.
1/04 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Booker at 27 and Brooks at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Allen (8 straight), Green (24 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 108, shooting 50 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Holmgren at 18 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Hartenstein (3 straight), J. Williams (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-6 a night and OKC plus-1. Call it OKC 116, Phoenix 114, Phoenix keeping it close.
1/05 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 106, shooting 52 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Holmgren at 20 a game. Without Hartenstein (4 straight), J. Williams (10 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Charlotte comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 116, shooting 47 percent and 41 from three, 23 free throws a game; Miller at 24 and Ball at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Diabaté (2 straight), Kalkbrenner (7 straight), Williams (28 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Charlotte has been plus-8 a night and OKC minus-3 and the defense, OKC allowing 106 a night to Charlotte's 116. Call it OKC 121, Charlotte 111, OKC by 10.
12/21 vs CHI 150-152 — ATL notes
ATL lost 150-152. ATL shot 52% (51 of 98) to CHI's 58%, 23 of 47 from three, and got to the line 32 times to CHI's 39. Johnson led with 36 (12 of 20, 2 of 6 from three, 10 of 11 at the line); Young added 35, Okongwu 23. Q3 was theirs, 42-33, the deficit cut from 10 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 119-108 against them. Daniels's -11 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/23 vs CHI 123-126 — ATL notes
ATL lost 123-126. ATL shot 51% (48 of 95) to CHI's 51%, 14 of 42 from three, and got to the line 20 times to CHI's 28. ATL turned it over 11 times to CHI's 16. The glass went 38-48 against them. Johnson led with 24 (11 of 23, 1 of 7 from three); Young added 22, Alexander-Walker 21. Q2 was theirs, 32-25, but the other 3 periods went 101-91 against them. They led by as many as 18. Alexander-Walker's -20 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/26 vs MIA 111-126 — ATL notes
ATL lost 111-126. ATL shot 47% (40 of 85) to MIA's 47%, 12 of 36 from three. ATL turned it over 21 times to MIA's 10, and MIA turned those into 14 steals. The glass went 42-52 against them. Young led with 30 (8 of 16, 5 of 8 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Johnson added 24, Alexander-Walker 15. Q3 was theirs, 33-27, the deficit cut from 12 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 99-78 against them. Risacher's -18 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/27 vs NYK 125-128 — ATL notes
ATL lost 125-128. ATL shot 48% (43 of 89) to NYK's 45%, 17 of 43 from three. The glass went 37-55 against them. Okongwu led with 31 (10 of 16, 6 of 10 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Alexander-Walker added 25, Johnson 20. Q4 was theirs, 36-30, the deficit cut from 9 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 98-89 against them. Young's -13 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/29 @ OKC 129-140 — ATL notes
ATL lost 129-140. ATL shot 47% (46 of 97) to OKC's 54%, 25 of 54 from three, and got to the line 17 times to OKC's 23. The glass went 38-49 against them. Alexander-Walker led with 30 (11 of 24, 6 of 14 from three); Okongwu added 26, Krejčí 18. Q1 was theirs, 38-35, but the other 3 periods went 105-91 against them. They led by as many as 10. Risacher's -27 in 23 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/31 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 134, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 23 free throws a game; Johnson at 26 and Young at 24 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 11 a night. Without Porziņģis (10 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 114, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 26 free throws a game; Edwards at 31 and Randle at 20 a game. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 114 a night to Atlanta's 134 and the glass, where Minnesota has been minus-3 a night and Atlanta minus-11. Call it Minnesota 122, Atlanta 119, Atlanta keeping it close.
1/02 @ 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 124 a night and allowing 125, shooting 46 percent and 42 from three, 22 free throws a game; Brunson at 31 and Towns at 24 a game. Without Hart (3 straight), Shamet (17 straight), Robinson (2 straight). One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 124, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 20 free throws a game; Johnson at 26 and Alexander-Walker at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Young (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-3 a night and Atlanta minus-9. Call it New York 124, Atlanta 119.
1/03 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 114, shooting 44 percent and 30 from three, 23 free throws a game; Ingram at 23 and Barnes at 19 a game. Without Poeltl (5 straight). 2 days' rest. Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 119, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Johnson at 24 and Okongwu at 22 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Young (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Toronto wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Toronto has been plus-4 a night and Atlanta minus-8 and the arc, Atlanta at 39 percent from three to Toronto's 30. Call it Toronto 119, Atlanta 114.
1/05 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 119, shooting 45 percent and 30 from three, 24 free throws a game; Ingram at 26 and Barrett at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Poeltl (6 straight). One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Johnson at 26 and Alexander-Walker at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest.
So: Toronto wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Toronto has been plus-4 a night and Atlanta minus-8 and the arc, Atlanta at 41 percent from three to Toronto's 30. Call it Toronto 120, Atlanta 117, Atlanta keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
OKCAC A. Caruso
AM A. Mitchell
AW A. Wiggins
BC B. Carlson
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
IJ I. Joe
JW J. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
ATLAN A. Newell
DD D. Daniels
KW K. Wallace
KR Krejci
LK L. Kennard
MG M. Gueye
NA N. Alexander-Walker
OO O. Okongwu
VK V. Krejčí
ZR Z. Risacher
OKC/ATL 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
SGA scores 39 as Thunder win 140-129 to hand short-handed Hawks their 7th straight defeat
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder used a big third quarter to beat the skidding Atlanta Hawks 140-129 on Monday night.
Chet Holmgren had 24 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, and Jalen Williams added 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the NBA-leading Thunder (28-5).
Gilgeous-Alexander scored the Thunder's first eight points. He made 15 of 24 field goals and all seven of his foul shots. He scored at least 20 points for the 104th consecutive game.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 30 points and Onyeka Okongwu had 26 points and 14 rebounds for Atlanta (15-19), which has lost seven straight. The short-handed Hawks played without starters Trae Young (quad), Jalen Johnson (illness) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness).
The teams combined to shoot 86 3-pointers. The Hawks were 25 of 54 (46.3%), while the Thunder made 12 of 32 (37.5%). Oklahoma City scored 70 points in the paint compared to 36 for Atlanta.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 of the Thunder's 35 first-quarter points. His three-point play with 3.4 seconds remaining pulled Oklahoma City even. But first cousin Alexander-Walker swished a 45-footer as time expired to put the Hawks in front 38-35.
Atlanta extended the advantage to 54-44 on a 3-pointer by Luke Kennard , but the Thunder pulled to 69-68 on a basket by Holmgren. Another buzzer-beater, this one an 8-footer by Dyson Daniels , gave Atlanta a 74-70 lead at halftime.
Oklahoma City took control early in the third quarter, outscoring Atlanta 30-11 for a 100-85 lead with 5:43 left. Gilgeous-Alexander (nine points) and Lu Dort (six points) sparked the run.
Atlanta got as close as 106-103 on a three-point play by Kennard. But the Thunder scored the next seven points to take a 113-103 lead into the fourth.
The Hawks kept it close after that. A 3-pointer by Zacchariw Risacher cut the Oklahoma City lead to 129-125 with 4:36 left.
Up next Hawks: Host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.
Thunder: Host the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.