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Grabbing the missed layup, Isaiah Hartenstein pushed the pace when he darted forward to Jalen Williams. Running the fastbreak, the 24-year-old made up for lost time with his fellow All-Star teammate by throwing up the alley-oop to Chet Holmgren. Been a minute since we've seen that sequence.
The Oklahoma City Thunder flexed their health with a 123-103 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. It was the first time they had their championship-winning lineup together since New Year's.
After working out some initial rust, the Thunder returned to being a scoring machine. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played bus driver. The offense was on hyperdrive. He'd kick out to Jaylin Williams for an outside jumper. Once Jared McCain checked in, he poured on against his old squad.
The Thunder had a 35-25 lead after the first quarter. Even more separation was created in the second frame. They put up 30 points to balloon a double-digit cushion. Williams knocked down another outside jumper to make it a 62-38 contest with under two minutes to go in the first half.
Everything was going right for the Thunder. They enjoyed a 65-43 lead at the halftime break. Up by that many, it's easy to explain why the reigning NBA champions went into cruise mode for the second half. That allowed the Sixers to make things a little interesting as they carved a 13-4 run to start.
That sliced OKC's lead to 69-56. Only three minutes into the third quarter, the game turned gettable for the short-handed Sixers sans Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Paul George. After a timeout, Williams helped the Thunder gain firm control. He sliced through Philadelphia's defense and drilled his jumpers.
The Thunder only put up 32 points in the third quarter. They had a 97-79 lead as VJ Edgecombe had 25 points. The 20-year-old leaned into being the Sixers' undisputed top player. From there, the Williams-Holmgren lineup stiff-armed Philadelphia on the scoreboard in the final frame.
There were a few moments of interest, but the Sixers never got within single-digit points. For the Sixers, Edgecombe's eruption at least salvaged this game's interest. The Thunder kept things at bay with 26 points in the fourth quarter on their way to another double-digit win over a bottom-tier East squad.
The Thunder shot 53% from the field and went 18-of-41 (43.9%) from 3. They shot 9-of-10 on free throws. They had 33 assists on 48 baskets. Six Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander had a pedestrian 22 points and five assists. Holmgren finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. Williams had 18 points and six assists in his return game. Williams tallied 18 points and eight rebounds. McCain scored 13 points. Hartenstein totaled 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Sixers shot 44% from the field and went 17-of-46 (37%) from 3. They shot 4-of-9 on free throws. They had 29 assists on 41 baskets. Four Sixers players scored double-digit points.
Edgecombe led the way with 35 points on 28 shot attempts. MarJon Beauchamp had 13 points and six rebounds. Trendon Watford had 15 points and six rebounds. Cameron Payne tallied 10 points and six assists.
That was pretty fun — even if the Thunder kinda sleptwalked their way through the second half. Injuries have completely decimated them all season. It hasn't cost them a ton in the win-loss record, but they're going to need Williams and company if they hope to go back-to-back. Good to see the All-NBA talent back on the floor after being out for nearly two months.
Admittedly, the Thunder have taken care of business in a soft part of their schedule. But you never apologize for winning — especially when it's a dozen in a row. With the NBA playoffs around the corner, they're playing some of their best basketball and have all of their parts back. Exciting stuff with three weeks to go.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: B
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Getting Edgecombe to bite, Gilgeous-Alexander's cross-over created a lane to the rim. On his way to a reverse layup, he switched hands with the ball as he lightly tapped it off the glass. In the final seconds of the third quarter, he celebrated crossing his signature 20 points before he called it a night.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, five assists and five rebounds. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws. He also had two blocks and one steal.
With a full cast in uniform, Gilgeous-Alexander decided to save some mileage on his legs. He went half-speed against the hospital Sixers. No problem taking a backseat, he allowed Williams and others to get into the flow of things. With several storylines heading into this matchup, the reigning MVP was cognizant of who folks wanted to see.
Against mostly pseudo-NBA players, Gilgeous-Alexander knifed his way through the Sixers' defense. Without a traditional rim protector and a bunch of inexperienced backcourt players, it was another game where the reigning MVP had things on easy mode.
Another night where Gilgeous-Alexander populated around the rim. Mixing things up, he also got to his spots in the mid-range. The turnovers were a bit of a problem with five, but a lot of those came from miscommunication as he relearned how to play with their starting lineup.
There was never a question of whether Gilgeous-Alexander would get 20 points. Just on if he'd get it before the fourth quarter. Once he checked that box, he was allowed to kick up his legs and rest for the final dozen minutes. It's a luxury that's seldom been used recently. But with a fully healthy OKC, that should change.
Jalen Williams: B
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Cutting the basket as Hartenstein grabbed another offensive rebound, Williams caught the ball in stride. The 24-year-old split between Watford and Adem Bona for the circus up-and-under layup that banked off the glass. Unreal feel for someone who was sidelined for nearly two months.
Williams finished with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting, six assists and four rebounds. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 1-of-2 on free throws.
Finally, the Thunder have all of their Infinity Stones. Williams made this into a must-watch game once he was cleared. Out for 16 consecutive games, his speed and movement didn't even hint at somebody who's missed most of the season with two hamstring strains.
Testing out his fresh legs, Williams bulldozed his way to the rim at a high frequency. Anytime the ball reached him, he went headfirst to the basket. He accelerated for several driving layups. No rust was shown in his first game back in a minute. Shoutout to the Sixers' nonexistent paint defense for the confidence boost.
Not wanting to completely make the game about himself, Williams played within the flow of the offense. He picked his spots to hunt for his shot. You even saw him knock down a couple of jumpers. That didn't really happen before due to his wrist. Exciting stuff overall, in his limited 20 minutes of action.
Considering how swift Williams was moving, you couldn't help but gush at the possibility of the Thunder finally adding back an All-NBA talent. In his limited time, injuries have made it hit or miss to see that version of the 24-year-old. And with a short runway of regular-season games to get going, this was a great start.
Chet Holmgren: A
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Dropping in the paint to take away the lob threat, Holmgren quickly pressed up as Beauchamp tried to sneak in a highlight against the All-Star. He didn't entertain the daring attempt. The seven-footer jumped up with him. Twisting his body, he swatted away the wild layup attempt for another rejection.
Holmgren finished with 18 points on 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, nine rebounds and four assists. He shot 3-of-4 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had five blocks.
It rarely happens because opposing players don't try it, but Holmgren's block numbers reflected his indestructible defense. The Sixers could barely get a functional offense going in the first half. You can thank the seven-footer for that. He orchestrated another shutout night inside the paint. Several Philadelphia players tried to go at him, but all that resulted was him padding his block numbers.
On the other end, Holmgren did his part. He caught an alley-oop and had a putback. His play-finishing is some of the best in the league. The seven-footer also showed off his jumper with a handful of makes from the perimeter and within it. He'll never be a bonafide scorer, but is perfectly fine as a secondary guy.
Another great game by Holmgren on both ends. He's playing some of his best basketball right now. And with Williams' return, he gets to play in an offensive role that better suits him. He's been an advanced metrics darling all season. There's a reason why the Thunder always dominate the scoreboard in his minutes.
Jaylin Williams: A-plus
Parked in the left corner, Williams eventually found the ball in his hands as Dominick Barlow hedged the wrong way. The 23-year-old couldn't believe how wide-open he was. He knocked down another outside jumper in the final seconds of the first half.
Williams finished with 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting, eight rebounds and four assists. He shot 5-of-7 from 3 and went 1-of-1 on free throws. He also had one block.
Even with a loaded center room, Williams has carved out a role in OKC's rotation. He's turned into prime Kevin Love over the last two months. This was the latest example of that. The Sixers paid anytime they doubled Gilgeous-Alexander. The 23-year-old ensured that with a busy night from the perimeter.
Williams got going with three outside jumpers in the second quarter — all from the left corner. That helped the Thunder pile up on the scoreboard. Teams are slowly learning they can't cheat off other OKC players to send more attention to Gilgeous-Alexander. Turns into a 'pick your own poison' game.
What a run it's been for Williams. That has gotten lost with all of the recent returns, but he's enjoying a career year. He's transformed into somebody the Thunder can depend on to play any role needed — regardless of the demand. He's one of their best developmental stories ever.
JWill's got it flooding in Philly️ pic.twitter.com/EEytpT191T
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 24, 2026
Jared McCain: B-plus
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Going one by one, McCain hugged a group of his former Sixers teammates. Monday was all about him. Just a little over a month since he was shockingly traded, it was all love between the 22-year-old and the Philadelphia crowd. He also further twisted the dagger in their chest.
McCain finished with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting, two assists and one rebound. He shot 3-of-7 from 3.
Penciling in rotation minutes on the fully healthy reigning NBA champions, the Sixers' inability to find time for McCain was on full display. He knocked down a couple of outside jumpers on DHO actions. That's become a staple in OKC's second-unit offense since his arrival.
And if you wondered if Sixers fans' social media noise about the deal translated to real life, you were proven correct pretty quickly. Known for being tough lovers, the Philadelphia crowd cheered on McCain when he checked in or scored the ball. Just an unreal scene that must've been a nightmare for Daryl Morey if he had the guts to watch.
Of all the trade deadline moves, McCain has proven to be the most additive. The irony in that? The Thunder didn't even need him to be the title favorite. It was a savvy buy-low move that has paid dividends from the moment he landed in OKC. The double-digit scorer has all the confidence in the world right now.
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This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder flex full health with 123-103 win over Sixers
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