OKLAHOMA CITY — Leveraging the attention he commands, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drew two defenders on him. He went with the quick bounce-back to Jaylin Williams. Reading the situation, Kenrich Williams went up on the baseline cut to throw down the alley-oop. Welcome to your new reality, OKC.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had an easy 125-114 win over the Phoenix Suns. Four games into the year, they charter into unknown territory as Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace will miss most — if not all — of the 2026-27 season with respective injuries and surgeries.
After such an emotional gut punch that left the Thunder and all of OKC shocked with Williams' gruesome-looking ankle injury, they had to wake up the next day and prepare for an NBA game. Such is the life
of the taxing regular-season schedule that it resembles a marathon.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had to return to Superman mode. He's going to need to carry the Thunder on a nightly basis. No longer are they afforded the luxury of his off-ball experimentation. It didn't take long for Ajay Mitchell to seize the opportunity. He's next in line to serve as his Robin for the foreseeable future.
After a slow start on offense, Mitchell had things going. He relentlessly sliced through Phoenix's defense. The Thunder had a 33-27 lead after the first quarter. It didn't take long for the glued-together parts to gel. As two-way rookie Josh Dix received second-frame minutes — which showed how dire things were — OKC continued to roll with momentum.
The main reason for that? Alex Caruso. Over this back-to-back, the 32-year-old has been the leader. He's rallied the Thunder to get over any emotional trauma. Usually, he saves his legs for the NBA playoffs. But reading the room, he knew he needed to go all out in these pre-Halloween games to ensure things don't go off the rails.
Caruso hit an outside jumper. He then darted a deep pass to Aday Mara for an easy fastbreak bucket. Even without Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams or Chet Holmgren on the floor, the new-look Thunder meshed well together. The system is bigger than an individual in OKC. Alas, Caruso's gritty, blue-collar style came at a price. He sustained an ankle sprain right before halftime that ended his night.
The Thunder scored 34 points in the second quarter. They had a 67-53 lead over the Suns. Even without Lu Dort, Wallace or Williams, Devin Booker was completely irrelevant. Guess changing your jersey number doesn't necessarily wipe away all of your bad mojo.
After the break, the Thunder held their own. Even when the Suns tried to mount a comeback. Both teams knotted up 32 points apiece in the third quarter. This is still such a good team, man. It's a shame that these two basically season-enders absolutely zapped any realistic hope at an NBA championship run. But the floor remains high. As long as Gilgeous-Alexander is healthy.
The Thunder had a 99-85 lead after the third quarter. Offense was hitting on all cylinders. Mitchell was about to surpass his career high in points. The young players stepped up in place of their absences. This was the first time Bennett Stirtz had a serious run. And then Mara bullied Phoenix on the glass. Anytime he was on the floor, he helped OKC completely break it open.
On a putback bucket, Mara pushed OKC's lead to 109-93. Eventually, the Thunder led by as many as 22 points. There were some late-game fireworks between Dillon Brooks and Kenrich Williams. But the NBA referees calmed things down as one of the Suns' best players was handed a flagrant foul. The Thunder scored 26 points in the final frame. That was enough to pull away relatively stress-free.
The Thunder shot 51% from the field and went 12-of-32 (37.5%) from 3. They shot 25-of-29 on free throws. They had 24 assists on 44 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 26 points and three assists. Mitchell stepped up big time with 30 points and five assists. Isaiah Hartenstein logged a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double. Jared McCain dropped 18 points and four assists. Mara had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Suns shot 43% from the field and went 18-of-50 (36%) from 3. They shot 18-of-25 on free throws. They had 29 assists on 39 baskets. Five Suns players scored double-digit points.
Jalen Green put up numbers with 20 points and four assists. Brooks had 19 points and five assists. Miles Bridges had 17 points and eight rebounds. Khaman Maluach also tallied 12 points and seven rebounds. Jordan Goodwin finished with 12 points and four rebounds.
On a night that started with a dark-suited Sam Presti delivering absolute worst-case scenario news, it ended with some hopeful optimism. At the very least, a fun distraction. The Thunder have to move on without Williams and Wallace. It's the brutal part of the NBA business where you need to quickly get over any emotions because another game is right around the corner. Gilgeous-Alexander and Mitchell helped provide OKC fans a therapeutic experience.
Now, the Thunder have to turn the page. No longer are they the dogmatic top title team. They've rung down a few notches to the group of inconsistent contenders. Without Williams and Wallace, you're really relying on the bare bones of your depth chart to meaningfully help out. Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren will be expected to carry the load, but a rotating cast of role players could take turns getting hot on any given night.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A
Shouldering his way through Brooks, Gilgeous-Alexander snaked his way to the inside of the nail. On a bump, Brooks jumped up. And then on a pump-fake, he did the same. Finally, the two-time MVP finished the crafty highlight with a spin move into a fancy fadeaway jumper that rattled in. Finesse at its purest.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting, three assists and three rebounds. He shot 1-of-5 from 3 and went 3-of-4 on free throws. He also had two blocks.
The Thunder are going to need Gilgeous-Alexander to be picture perfect from here on out. No room for error. No messing around with an off-ball role. And no off-nights. This was a good start to that Herculean task. Knowing his team needed a win to begin the healing process, he stepped up big time.
Liks last year's Round 1 sweep, Gilgeous-Alexander absolutely toyed with the Suns. On a surface level, Brooks has a reputation for making him struggle. But reality and numbers say otherwise. This was the latest example. He absolutely killed Phoenix in the mid-range. He sprinkled his made buckets throughout that area of the floor.
Early on in this regular season, that's where Gilgeous-Alexander has had most of his points. The high-volume drives to the rim are a thing of the past. And the free-throw numbers have been dramatically slashed. The mid-range maestro has completely fallen in love with that shot attempt. Hard to blame him, either. Especially with high-efficient 25-plus point outings like this.
While his Thunder teammates tried out their new respective roles, Gilgeous-Alexander turned up his dial for selfishness. He bought them time with 22 points in three quarters. After on-site experience, OKC's second unit actually closed this out. The 28-year-old wasn't required for any late-game heroics. In fact, there were questions about why he even played deep into the game.
This is the formula for success. We've seen it over the years. As long as Gilgeous-Alexander suits up, the Thunder are a 60-win machine. Now, they're about to test the limitations of that without Williams and Wallace. It will require him to put up gaudy numbers on an every-night basis. Let's see if he's up to the task. Or this year can go off the rails even further.
Working on both ends early pic.twitter.com/uXaJX9rugy
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 27, 2026
Pulled 🆙 pic.twitter.com/HQFD9ZQZWN
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 27, 2026
Put him on Dancing with the Stars ASAP 🕺 pic.twitter.com/BFdSLivUet
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 27, 2026
2️⃣ for 3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/c39i9FoELZ
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 27, 2026
Ajay Mitchell: A-plus
Rejecting the screen, Mitchell scored another bucket the old-fashioned way. He went right at Collin Gillespie and shouldered his way to a driving layup. After a pedestrian start, his powers are back. The 24-year-old understands the gravity of the situation and his sudden importance to OKC's success.
Mitchell finished with 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting, five assists and two rebounds. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 9-of-10 on free throws. He also had one block.
Let's run back's last year's greatest hits. One of those? Mitchell is taking up in Williams' absence. At this point, the Thunder are clinging to the hope that can repeat itself. This was a great start to that theory. If they hope to remain relevant among the top dog teams, he has to step up as Gilgeous-Alexander's new Robin on a night-to-night basis. No more inconsistent outings can be afforded.
There's certainly an argument to be made that Mitchell can achieve that lofty goal. Driving to the rim is the best way to sustainability. Albeit, a physically-taxing one. If he can constantly put his head down and slice through interior defenses, then that's an effective way to get buckets. Not just from fancy finishes, but getting to the free-throw line at will.
Mitchell lapped his regular-season career high in points. He closed this out alongside Gilgeous-Alexander. Let's see what happens the rest of the way. How he handles a large uptick in workload is going to be one of the major newly-born storylines to follow throughout the months. As cheesy as it sounds, it could be a blessing in disguise. Or not.
Count it + ☝️ pic.twitter.com/iwKAyReVdT
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 27, 2026
Getting right to the rack 💪 pic.twitter.com/h9ODzja1tT
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 27, 2026
Isaiah Hartenstein: A-minus
Walking through the bowels of Paycom Center, Hartenstein sports Williams' jersey backside-front. He even sports one of his signature Christian cross necklaces around his neck. Less than 24 hours after the Thunder had their season turned upside down, they had two choices to respond — fold to life's challenges or punch back. They chose the latter.
Hartenstein finished with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, 13 rebounds and three assists. He shot 3-of-3 on free throws.
With several top Thunder players out, Hartenstein had to be a scorer. It's not really his most comfortable role, per se. He likes to play within the flow of the game. But he made it a point to be a constant alley-oop threat. He even nailed one of his patented floaters. On the boards, he was a magnet. The Suns' youthful frontcourt had little chance to slow him down.
Fair or not, the Thunder are going to need a little bit more from everybody across the board. Including Hartenstein. The best way for him to materialize that is by being a double-double machine. The secondary offense could run through him more often. That had slowly faded away when the year started. But now it's a necessity. So far, he's earned a green checkmark through one game.
Let's see how the Thunder look over the next three months. They have ample time to make the front office's decisions easier. Do they stand pat? Go all in? Sell? We just don't know. This is new territory for OKC. Sure, it's overcome a notable absence, here and there. But two key starters? I don't know, man. How Hartenstein steps up will answer a lot of those questions.
Send it up, slam it down 🙂↕️ pic.twitter.com/Qe7ABm9Nes
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 27, 2026
Jared McCain: B
Saving the ball from going out of bounds, McCain zipped to the midcourt. Luckily, Gilgeous-Alexander caught the wild throw. Eventually, the 22-year-old had his hustle rewarded. The ball returned to him. He swished in a corner outside jumper. The pass-happy offense remained. In fact, it was relied upon more often. That might need to happen to make up for the raw NBA scoring talent lost.
McCain finished with 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting, four assists and three rebounds. He shot 4-of-7 from 3 and went 2-of-3 on free throws. He also had one block and one steal.
McCain is another role player who has been thrown into the fire. He received the start. Once viewed as a bench bucket-getter, he's upgraded to being one of OKC's most natural scorers left. He took advantage of the extra looks by putting up more shot attempts. The Thunder are going to funnel him the ball as often as possible. He also surprised a little with a couple of driving layups.
I guess McCain taking on a larger role is one of the ways the Thunder can overcome Williams' and Wallace's absences. He kinda has to now. No longer is he just a luxury. The microwave scorer has to be a constant scoring threat. There just isn't enough NBA scoring talent left who could put on a uniform. What a depressing thing to say four games into the regular season.
All out hustle 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/s4un208hM1
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 27, 2026
Highlights:
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder move on with NBA life in 125-114 win over Suns
