Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points, Chet Holmgren added 18, and the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the fourth quarter to pull away for a 111-91 win over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night.
Cason Wallace chipped in 17 points off the bench as the NBA-leading Thunder outscored Houston 34-16 in the final period to extend their winning streak to five games.
Oklahoma City led by just two early in the fourth quarter before breaking the game open with an 11-2 run. Ajay Mitchell knocked down a 3-pointer and Wallace followed with two more to push the Thunder ahead 90-79 with less than nine minutes remaining.
The Rockets were still within nine later in the quarter, but Mitchell sparked another surge with a 3-pointer that began a 7-0 run. Jaylin Williams capped it with a two-handed dunk to make it 99-83 with about four minutes left, prompting Houston coach Ime Udoka to call timeout as fans headed for the exits.
Udoka was assessed a technical foul during the timeout, and Oklahoma City continued to roll. Gilgeous-Alexander converted the technical free throw and added three more shortly after, while a Kenrich Williams 3-pointer extended the run to 14-0 and made it 106-83 with two minutes to play. Houston went more than five minutes without a basket before Reed Sheppard finally hit a 3.
Kevin Durant led the Rockets with 19 points but struggled from the field, going 7 for 23 overall and 0 for 5 from beyond the arc. Houston shot just 33.7% from the floor and 7 of 24 from 3-point range, despite outrebounding Oklahoma City 60-44. The Thunder shot 46.1% overall and made 16 of 41 3-pointers.
It was the second meeting between the teams this season after Oklahoma City earned a 125-124 double-overtime win in the season opener.
Up next:
The Thunder visit Miami on Saturday night, while the Rockets host Minnesota on Friday night.
