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.
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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.
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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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SAN FRANCISCO — Robbie Ray was everything the Giants could ask for on Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park.
In a performance that continued a strong recent stretch, the 34-year-old went eight innings and gave up a single unearned run, leading San Francisco to a 3-2 win.
It was an outing that will only increase potential interest in Ray at the upcoming MLB trade deadline, one where the Giants figure to be busy after ending their first winning homestand since April with a record of 35-48.
The Braves, who remain in first place in the NL East, are 49-33.
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Ray was perfect through four innings until Matt Olson broke up his run of 12 consecutive batters retired with a single to center to lead off the fifth.
His shutout bid was ruined in the eighth when Michael Harris II drove in Eli White with a sacrifice fly, but Ray buckled down and retired Ozzie Albies with a popup to center to end the inning.
The Giants got on the board when Luis Arraez scored in the sixth on an infield single by Rafael Devers, running home when Austin Riley’s throw bounced off Olson’s glove and trickled away from him down the right-field line. They scored again when Albies threw the ball past Olson on Jung Hoo Lee’s grounder to the right side, allowing Heliot Ramos to score.
Ramos made his return from a right quad strain Sunday and played in his first game with the Giants since May 15.
Arraez led off the inning with an infield single down the left-field line, and Ramos further set the table with a single to center. Arraez added on in the seventh, bringing in an insurance run with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Drew Gilbert, who had led off the inning with a pinch-hit single to center.
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The Sunday matinee was attended by 33,138 fans. Next up for the Giants is a quick six-game trip that begins Monday with an evening game in Arizona and will continue with a three-game set in Colorado over the holiday weekend, starting Friday.
Check back for updates to this story.
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Top fast food chain report: Jersey Mike’s takes first place
After an 11-year run, Chick-fil-A is no longer the top-rated quick-service restaurant, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
A new survey suggests that if Georgia workers could choose any office in the state to work from, many would pick Chick-fil-A’s headquarters in Atlanta.
The survey from Resume.io asked more than 3,000 workers nationwide to identify the workplaces they would most like to work from if location were not a factor.
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Participants were instructed to judge the office environment itself rather than salary, benefits, company culture or employer reputation.
Among Georgia locations, the Chick-fil-A Support Center ranked highest, followed by Porsche Cars North America’s headquarters in Atlanta.
Chick-fil-A tops Georgia list
The Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A Support Center ranked No. 17 nationally in the survey.
Researchers highlighted the campus-style setting, which includes landscaped grounds, gardens, walking trails and visitor experiences. The workplace was noted for having a more retreat-like atmosphere than a traditional office tower.
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The support center serves as the corporate headquarters for the restaurant chain founded by S. Truett Cathy.
Porsche headquarters also earns recognition
Coming in at No. 30 nationally was the headquarters of Porsche Cars North America.
Located in metro Atlanta, the campus is home to the Porsche Experience Center and includes a driver development track, simulators, event space, training facilities and a vehicle restoration workshop.
The survey described the site as a workplace that immerses employees in the brand’s automotive culture.
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What workers want from an office
According to Resume.io, respondents were asked to focus strictly on the physical workplace environment when making their selections.
The survey comes as many employers continue balancing in-office, hybrid and remote work arrangements.
Amanda Augustine, a career expert with Resume.io, said employee expectations have changed as flexible work has become more common.
“If people are going to spend time commuting and working onsite, the experience has to offer something more than a desk and fluorescent lighting,” Augustine said.
Which offices ranked highest nationwide?
Nationally, the top-ranked workplace was Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York City.
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Other offices appearing near the top of the list included the PGA TOUR Global Home in Florida, Servco Pacific’s headquarters in Hawaii, Google’s St. John’s Terminal in New York and TikTok’s U.S. Data Security office in Arizona.
Georgia was one of only a handful of states to place two workplaces among the survey’s top 30 most desirable offices.
For more information, visit resume.io.
Vanessa Johns is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia, covering food and entertainment. Email her atVcountryman@gannett.com.
