Thunder Sharpshooter Leads the way in 104-99 Victory over Atlanta

The Oklahoma City Thunder, led by sharpshooting bench guard Isaiah Joe, walked away with a 104-94 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, led by his 16-point performance.

Atlanta’s young guard, Kobe Bufkin, led the way for the Hawks, finishing with 31 points on 12-for-26 shooting. Though it was a preseason game, this was Bufkin’s career high, but the performance was not enough to result in a Hawks victory.

The Thunder got out to a hot start in the first quarter, taking a 19-9 lead with 5:40 to play. Big man Chet Holmgren totaled nine of those points by both hitting from the perimeter and getting to the free-throw line. Holmgren quieted down after his scoring spurt, finishing with 15 points all in the first half.

Triples from Atlanta guards Bufkin, Dyson Daniels and Garrison Matthews narrowed the score quickly in the opening period. Even with Bufkin increasing his scoring from the perimeter as the game progressed, the Hawks only drilled four to start. By the end of the quarter, Atlanta had gained the lead at 28-27, thanks to a paint bucket from center Onyeka Okongwu.

OKC re-gained a seven-point lead with 8:30 remaining in the second period when forward Aaron Wiggins went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line. Around two minutes later, dynamic forward Jalen Williams landed awkwardly on his ankle and was taken out of the game and did not return.

Both teams traded scores and by the half’s end, Atlanta held a 51-49 lead. OKC’s star guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, failed to get going in the first half. He only finished with six points on 2-for-4 shooting and did not see the court again.

The Thunder brought out a lineup of multiple depth pieces to start the second half, featuring Wiggins, Cason Wallace, Joe, Dillon Jones and Ousmane Dieng. That lineup held its own in the quarter, with Dieng scoring six points within the first four minutes. Joe, one of OKC’s sharpshooters, also caught fire in the third quarter.

Joe scored 14 points in the quarter and kept the Thunder close. He hit four triples in the third as well, his second consecutive performance with four or more threes made and 14 or more points scored.

Joe’s third-quarter performance kept the Thunder around, trailing 79-77 at the end of the third quarter. It remained close throughout the fourth quarter and the fate of the game was going to be left in the hands of OKC’s depth pieces.

With the game winding down, a triple from rookie Dillon Jones and a dunk from Dieng landed the Thunder up five with 5:23 remaining. OKC played solid on-ball defense down the stretch, making life hard on Atlanta’s offense. The Hawks were relying on the multi-level scoring ability of Bufkin, but the Jones and the Thunder defense forced him into multiple shots. He still made some tough ones and continued to keep the Hawks in winning-distance.

A 1-for-2 free throw trip from Dieng with 35 seconds remaining in the game gave the Thunder a 100-94 lead. Bufkin and guard Kevon Harris drilled two shots with under 30 seconds remaining to give the Hawks a reason to continue fouling, but they continued to send Dieng to the free-throw line and he continued to make them. He finished with 15 total points, five of which came from the stripe.

After closing out its preseason with a win, OKC kicks off its regular season at 9 p.m. CDT on Thursday, Oct. 24 at Ball Arena in a road test against the Denver Nuggets. OKC defeated the Nuggets in its fourth preseason game in blowout fashion, winning 124-94.

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