Player grades: Thunder avoid upset in high-scoring 140-129 win over Hawks

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OKLAHOMA CITY — Racing at full speed, Alex Caruso knocked the ball midair before Vit Krejci could reach it. Thriving in chaos, Chet Holmgren was rewarded for trailing the play and soared for the easy two-handed dunk. The stops weren't there on the usual basis, but the steal-and-score sequence sealed the result.

The Oklahoma City Thunder avoided disaster with a 140-129 win over the Atlanta Hawks. The high-scoring affair was out of character for the reigning NBA champion, but the offense turned it up a notch to compensate for the defensive dullness.

The Thunder and Hawks both put up plenty of points from the jump. That showcased what type of night that was about to unfold. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had it going, but so did Onyeka Okongwu. Both teams easily crossed 30 points. To sum up how things went, Nickeil Alexander-Walker went behind the back to swish in a halfcourt shot despite Caruso's tight contest.

The Thunder were in a 38-35 deficit after the first quarter. That continued along in the second frame. The Thunder had 35 points in the second frame, but the Hawks kept up. Dyson Daniels hit the turnaround jumper at the buzzer. Shockingly enough, OKC was in a 74-70 halftime deficit. Yikes.

All of this with a short-handed Hawks team that was without Trae Young, Jalen Johnson and Kristaps Porzingis. Not the greatest sign from an OKC defense that has been in a slump for a little bit. I guess you can't eat sirloin steak every night. Gotta settle for water-boiled hot dogs.

Coming out of the break, the Thunder were rejuvenated. The defense was back to its tip-top shape. Something that's been hit or miss recently. They had a 17-3 run to completely flip the scoreboard. Both teams went past the century mark before the third quarter ended. Gilgeous-Alexander had 36 points. Meanwhile, Atlanta couldn't miss from deep. OKC had a 43-point third quarter to build a 113-103 lead.

Every time it felt like the Thunder were about to blow it open, the Hawks hit a timely outside bucket. To the point that Krejci received some luck from a basketball intervention as one of his attempts banked in. Alexander-Walker went bucket-for-bucket with his cousin. He eventually got it within four points as OKC had a 132-128 lead with a little under four minutes left.

It felt like we were on the cusp of a final-possession game. After Alexander-Walker made it a 135-129 score with a little under three minutes left, the Thunder scored the final five points. Atlanta's outside luck ran out as it made a franchise record for the most 3-pointers in a single game. It remained scoreless during that stretch as OKC came up with enough stops to pull away.

The Thunder shot 54% from the field and went 12-of-32 (37.5%) from 3. They shot 22-of-23 on free throws. They had 27 assists on 53 baskets. Six Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 39 points and six assists. Holmgren had an efficient 24 points and nine rebounds. Williams tallied 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Cason Wallace had 17 points and seven rebounds. Caruso finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Ajay Mitchell had 10 points and four assists.

Meanwhile, the Hawks shot 47% from the field and went 25-of-54 (46.3%) from 3. They shot 12-of-17 on free throws. They had 32 assists on 46 baskets. Six Hawks players scored double-digit points.

Okongwu broke out with 26 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. Alexander-Walker played his an MVP with 30 points, five assists and four rebounds. Krejci scored 18 points. Daniels finished with 13 points and seven assists. Zaccharie Risacher had 12 points and four rebounds. Luke Kennard had 12 points and five assists.

Well, it's been a couple of ugly wins for the Thunder. But you'll take those over moral losses. The scoring numbers were straight out of NBA 2K. Some of the shot-making you saw from both sides felt like you were playing in rookie mode. On one end, a Hawks role player would drill an outside jumper. On the other end, a Thunder player answered right back a la vintage Big 12 football.

The defense, though, must be better. Sometimes it's that simple. No real reason why the NBA's best defense surrendered 129 points in regulation to a team in turmoil and without their three best players. Alexander-Walker and Okongwu looked like old-school Kobe and Shaq out there. The Thunder realize that side of the ball is their bread and butter. They need to get back to that soon — even if this is just a small slump during the regular-season marathon.

Let's look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus

Running the fastbreak, Gilgeous-Alexander went right at Daniels. For most NBA players, that's the wrong move. He's an All-Defense player with a reputation as one of the best one-on-one defenders. But for the reigning MVP, he galloped his way and created space with his elbows to go right at him and hit the floater.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 39 points on 15-of-24 shooting, six assists and six rebounds. He shot 2-of-5 from 3 and went 7-of-7 on free throws. He also had two steals.

When you mix the NBA's best scorer with a paper-thin defense, this is the result. Gilgeous-Alexander had no problem dissecting the Hawks. He constantly drove to the basket with several fancy finishes. The mid-range jumper was also on point. He pulled up plenty of times from within the perimeter.

A 15-point first quarter quickly got Gilgeous-Alexander into a groove. He only needed a few dribbles to get to his spot. Backing down several Atlanta defenders, he shot over their reach for easy buckets. After a much-needed halftime break, the Thunder came out with a 30-10 run to build up a double-digit lead.

The jumper fell pretty easily for Gilgeous-Alexander. A stepback 3-pointer barely moved the net. After three quarters, he had 36 points. Just pure one-on-one scoring that would have most of the social media world shook. Nobody else in the NBA can score an efficient 30-plus points on mostly drives and jumpers. Talk about a shot-making machine.

The Thunder needed this performance from Gilgeous-Alexander. Or else it could've been on the wrong side of an upset loss. The game didn't play out as most expected. But the reigning MVP delivered the needed win. He finished a point shy of an efficient 40 points. Atlanta was the prime opponent for him to have this type of outing.

Chet Holmgren: A-plus

Collecting Williams' miss, Holmgren beat out Krejci on the box-out opportunity. He grabbed the offensive rebound for the second-chance putback. Desperately needing to get his confidence back, the 23-year-old squeezed every drop of juice out of this get-right back-to-back against lesser East teams.

Holmgren finished with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting, 10 rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-4 from 3 and went 4-of-4 on free throws. He also had two blocks.

Against a Swiss cheese defense, Holmgren slashed his way for several easy buckets. The seven-footer had plenty of putback layups and was the recipient of alley-oops. That's become a staple in OKC's offense as the seven-footer is on his way to his first All-Star berth because of his scoring uptick.

It was too easy against the Hawks. Too many miscommunications allowed Holmgren and others to get open looks. Considering everybody in Atlanta has access to the internet, they've likely seen the reports that they're on the verge of blowing teams up. That mentally gets to you, which is a salivating opportunity for several Thunder players to fluff up their stats.

Not only was Holmgren's scoring needed, but so were his boards. With Isaiah Hartenstein out once again with a soleus strain, the Thunder have slotted the 23-year-old back to the center position. That means he needs to up his game to grab rebounds. Or OKC risks losing the possession battle. To his credit, he did so against the Hawks.

The Thunder have been the NBA's best team because of Holmgren's ascension. He might occasionally have duds, but more often than not, he provides a solid floor as a probable All-Star player. They've needed him to step up as his All-NBA teammate continues to adjust to his new wrist feeling. Speaking of.

Jalen Williams: A

Staying in front of Alexander-Walker, Mitchell's pesky defense paid off. The Hawks panickly inbounded the ball. The Thunder's Sixth Man slapped it away with the forced turnover. Smartly by Williams, he was right there to get the wide-open lane for the easy two-handed dunk.

Williams finished with 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting, eight rebounds and seven assists. He shot 0-of-1 from 3 and went 4-of-5 on free throws. He also had a steal and a block.

Relentlessly driving to the basket, that's how Williams will get most of his buckets until further notice. The Hawks put up zero fight to keep him away from the rim. He sliced and diced Atlanta's defense for several bulldozer finishes through traffic, where he purely out-muscled the opponent.

That's good to see. Williams needs to rely on that more often in his shot diet. Now, in terms of his jumper, that remains a work in progress. He badly missed his sole outside attempt. His patented mid-range jumper has ghosted him. Still working through his new wrist, it'll take some time for him to return to being an efficient 20-plus point scorer.

That said, it doesn't mean Williams can't help out with winning basketball. You saw that with the Hawks. The 24-year-old has shown he can still power his way to the rim. On defense, he remains a plus. The rubberband-esque wingspan helps force turnovers by clogging up passing lanes.

Cason Wallace: A-plus

One second ahead of the play, Wallace perfectly predicted Risacher's next move. A side-out pass never reached Alexander-Walker. Instead, the 22-year-old jumped the passing lane and grabbed the ball without needing to break a sweat. He accelerated down the other end for the easy two-handed dunk.

Wallace finished with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting, seven rebounds and three assists. He shot 5-of-6 from 3. He also had two steals and a block.

As both teams put up video game numbers, that meant a few role players would enjoy high-end scoring performances. In comes Wallace. He's always struggled on that side of the ball, but the Hawks' unwillingness to close out let him gain a rhythm from the outside on decent looks.

The Thunder needed all of their buckets to escape with a close win. Count Wallace as another contributor. Of course, the defense is one-of-one. He's broken out as OKC's best perimeter defender. The tape shows him taking on the opposition's best scorers. It's been quite the leap for him on that side of the floor.

Every time Wallace starts, good things happen for the Thunder. Quite the luxury that they don't need him to be a full-time starter with plenty of other enticing options. That said, it makes it difficult to put him back on the bench when the results speak for themselves at this point.

Alex Caruso: A-plus

As Asa Newell tried to move the ball, a brainfart delivered Caruso a late Christmas present. He had the easiest steal of his life when he cleanly intercepted a cross-court pass intended for Okongwu. The 31-year-old jogged the other way for the Status of Liberty one-handed jam.

Caruso finished with 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting, eight rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-2 from 3. He also had two steals.

You usually don't see Caruso put up scoring numbers. At this point in his career, he's somebody who lets his plus-minus and tape do the talking. The two-time NBA champion doesn't need to get a ton of buckets to prove his value. But considering how optional defense was for the Hawks, you might as well join in on the fun.

Caruso also had it easy inside the paint. He had several finishes at the rim. That helped him feel better about his outside jumpers. He even knocked down an impromptu mid-range shot. When he can knock down his outside looks, his unreal one-on-one defense is quite the compliment.

The Thunder went with Caruso in crunch time. Since he arrived in OKC, he's proven to be somebody that they rely on in those situations — even if he seldom starts. You saw that at the end when he out-hustled Krejci for a loose ball and created a scoring play out of pure nothingness.