Chasing a loose ball, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's extra-hustle endeavors didn't pay off. As the ball unceremoniously bounced out of bounds, the two-time MVP winner smiled in astonishment. He seamlessly sat down for the final time as a forgettable substitution for a skippable preseason finale.
The Oklahoma City Thunder wrapped up their preseason with a 116-89 loss to the Houston Rockets. Not that it matters, but it wasn't really that close of a contest. Last time you can get away with saying that.
In a surprising move, the Thunder actually treated this as a dress rehearsal — well, sorta. Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace sat out. Aside from that, though, OKC played the rest of its top-10 rotation players. The Rockets took it up a level and played their
Opening Night starters.
If you were hoping to see the Thunder finish these exhibitions on a strong note, think again. For the second straight game, their semi-regular guys fell behind quickly. We had a few air-balls and a wedgie to start this one. Nine minutes in, OKC was in a daunting 26-8 hole. Uh oh.
Gilgeous-Alexander took a backseat. He's hoping to play more off-ball. How did the rest of the Thunder respond to the extra responsibilities? A five-minute scoring drought. They were in a 33-15 deficit after the first quarter. Finally, OKC's second unit got things going in the second frame.
Alex Caruso found Jalen Williams for a transition bucket. Aday Mara little-bro'd Alperen Sengun. The Thunder went on a 16-4 run to make things interesting. They had 32 points in the second quarter. That was enough to make it a close 54-47 deficit at halftime. You'll take that. Especially considering how far behind it started.
Out of the break, the Thunder put on their lab coat. They kept Mara in with Isaiah Hartenstein. The double-big lineup was a fascinating combination. And still is. Even if the Rockets quickly extinguished any intrigue. With two old-school centers on the floor, Bogdan Bogdanovic absolutely torched the nets from the perimeter.
Eventually, the Thunder pulled the plug on their main rotation guys. Granted, this was the deepest Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams played into the preseason. They only had 22 points in the third quarter. It was a 79-69 hole for OKC. Both sides cleared their benches for the final frame.
The Thunder only scored 20 points in the final frame. Or should I say, their eventual G League roster did. That uglied up the final score as they fell behind by as many as 29 points. Pretty forgettable basketball for the quarter-sized Houston crowd.
The Thunder shot 41% from the field and went 5-of-36 (13.9%) from 3. They shot 12-of-14 on free throws. They had 19 assists on 36 baskets. Two Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 17 points and three assists. Williams finished with 18 points and seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Rockets shot 45% from the field and went 17-of-53 (32.1%) from 3. They shot 5-of-11 on free throws. They had 34 assists on 47 baskets. Six Rockets players scored double-digit points.
Sengun finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Kevin Durant scored a cool 11 points. Amen Thompson looked ready for the real deal with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists. Bogdan Bogdanovic tallied 15 points and six rebounds. Reed Sheppard had 11 points and three rebounds. Tari Eason dropped 12 points.
Well, not the prettiest of showings. I get that this is preseason and you throw in all of the caveats about it. None of it counts. Blah blah blah. But for a second straight game, the Thunder tried to throw their best punch against an opponent doing the same. And yeesh. It didn't look good. Sure, they made things competitive. But constantly climbing out of self-dug holes isn't the formula for sustainable success.
Usually, grizzled former NBA champion teams have a proverbial switch they can flip on. On Opening Night, OKC is going to test that theory. Not the best first-half showings in two games that featured Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and most of the supporting cast. Specifically, the complimentary pieces look a step slow and are still in the process of knocking off rust.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: B
Passing out after Thompson's close-out, Gilgeous-Alexander swiftly cut to the basket. Bennett Stirtz understood the mission. He found the 28-year-old in stride. One power-dribble later, he went up for the ultra-rare dunk over Marcus Smart. He jogged back on defense with a sly smile. He's ready for the real thing.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting, three assists and one rebound. He shot 2-of-5 from 3 and went 5-of-5 on free throws. He also had one block.
Even if Gilgeous-Alexander's plus-minus was at an ugly negative-24, none of that reflected his outing. Instead, the two-time MVP winner took a backseat to the rest of his teammates. He wanted to see what they could do with more scoring opportunities. Preseason is the perfect time to play decoy. Let's just say the results left a lot to be desired. To the point that he had to put on his Superman cape and make this a somewhat interesting game again.
Like a parent teaching their kid how to drive, Gilgeous-Alexander had to slowly grasp the steering wheel to not drive off course. He experimented a bit with his outside jumper, but eventually returned to his bread-and-butter of slicing his way through Houston's defense to get to the cup. Either for layups or free throws.
Playing about three-fourths of real basketball, Gilgeous-Alexander reminded folks why he's above preseason basketball. Let's get this going when the games start to matter. Throughout the two weeks, he barely broke a sweat in these glorified exhibitions.
2️⃣ got 🆙 pic.twitter.com/idMCmDNHcg
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 16, 2026
Jalen Williams: B-plus
Going with a strong dribble between the legs, Williams drove downhill. Jabari Smith Jr.'s angst got the best of him. The All-NBA talent jammed on the brakes. He slow-motioned his way to an open layup. After last year's health debacle, the 25-year-old is ready to turn the page for good.
Williams finished with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting and seven rebounds. He shot 2-of-5 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had one block.
It didn't take long for Williams to remind Thunder fans of the type of trajectory he was on before last season. Now, he'll get a chance to do the same with a national TV crowd on Opening Night. No need for a ramp-up or a grace period. He's ready to play at his peak from the jump. The scoring bag is back. This was the best his outside shot has looked. And the defense remains suffocating.
Like Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams played deep into the third quarter. The Thunder are hoping he can be his Robin once again. It's refreshing to see OKC have a reliable second scorer. That wasn't always the case last year. He can get to the rim and is one of their best weapons in transition.
Let's get this regular season rolling. The Thunder surely circled Opening Night when the 2026-27 regular season dropped. One of the popular theories is that OKC would've beaten the San Antonio Spurs if he were healthy in the 2026 Western Conference Finals. We're about to see some early returns on that thought experiment.
Placing it right over 🔝 pic.twitter.com/VdJPmp9Z4j
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 16, 2026
Stopping on a dime 🪙 pic.twitter.com/XGbJdHOtd3
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 16, 2026
Ajay Mitchell: C-minus
Getting stuck on an island with Durant, Mitchell flexed his defensive talents. Stuck on him in the post, he smacked away a textbook entry pass. What a play. Especially considering the size difference. After generating a steal, he got into a second-quarter groove that proved to be his best stretch of the night.
Mitchell finished with seven points on 3-of-10 shooting, three rebounds and one assist. He shot 0-of-4 from 3 and went 1-of-2 on free throws. He also had one steal.
Well, let's see if Mitchell can step up on offense. I'm not worried about the defense. He's shown in preseason already that he can guard up. But the finishing has to be better. Chalk it up to bad luck or whatever, but you can't blow your bunnies around the rim. Especially when your outside shot isn't falling, either.
History suggests Mitchell should get some better luck, though. After all, his constant drives to the basket are what turned him from a two-way rookie to a vital piece of OKC's rotation. The scoring talent didn't just suddenly disappear. And this is around the time when ascending NBA players usually take their largest leaps.
The Thunder are rolling out the blue-and-orange carpet for Mitchell. They're expecting big things out of him in Year 3. Even if he's technically the Sixth Man, they're loading up his plate with additional scoring opportunities. In an ideal world, he continues to progress in the pecking order of things as OKC's third-most reliable go-to scorer. At least among the perimeter players.
Aday Mara: C
Hoping to conjure up some big-man magic, Mara's ambitious pass to Hartenstein flew over his head and darted out of bounds. Yeah, it's going to take a minute to get those two to gel together. The 21-year-old has been one of the trendiest preseason storylines across the league. But you can tell the loaded minutes caught up to him here.
Mara finished with six points on 3-of-4 shooting, nine rebounds and two assists. He also had one block.
Even if this was Mara's stalest preseason outing, plenty to love from it in a micro-sense. He absolutely held his own against Sengun in a handful of possessions. He out-muscled him for a few rebounds. And on the other end, the All-Star couldn't get around him for his patented hook move. Seldom do you see players make the Rockets' franchise player look small in comparison.
The Thunder tried things out with Mara and Hartenstein. That's clearly a work in progress. I'm a firm believer that the double-big lineup only works with one old-school center and one modern-day center or jumbo-sized wing. Those two archetypes really fit well together, both inside and outside. You saw what happens when both of your bigs like to clog up the paint.
Remains to be seen how much the Thunder will rely on Mara once the regular season starts. But there's no denying that there is a pathway to help out for real. The 7-foot-3 center gives them a wildcard option on both ends of the floor. He's simply too humongous not to change the halfcourt dimensions on both ends.
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This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder flush preseason finale with 116-89 loss to Rockets
