Thunder gain edge in head-to-head & 3 other exciting takeaways from win over Rockets

Spearheaded by a 51-point showing from superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the OKC Thunder picked up their fourth consecutive win on Monday night. That said, the road to victory was far from a cakewalk.

Despite being riddled with injuries, the Reed Sheppard and Cam Whitmore-led Houston squad proved to be quite scrappy, as they saw much as a nine-point edge during the first half of play and kept the game within striking distance throughout all 48 minutes of regulation.

In the end, however, the Rockets seemed to be one Alperen Sengun (out with a back injury) shy of having enough juice to hold off the top-seeded Thunder, as they ultimately managed to pull away with a 137-128 victory.

With the win, Oklahoma City became the first team in the Western Conference to reach 50 wins on the year, 11 games ahead of the second-seeded Lakers. Additionally, they've now snapped a tiebreaker in their head-to-head series since the 2019-2020 season, giving the Thunder an 11-10 lead.

A triumph over a potential playoff matchup always tends to have notable implications, and there are a few takeaways, in particular, that must be highlighted.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's scoring onslaught continues

While Sunday's victory over San Antonio was Jalen Williams's night, Monday was the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander show.

Prior to 2024-25, the MVP candidate never had so much as one 50-plus point performance in his career. With his showing against Houston, he now leads the league with four of such outings on the season.

His knack for buying buckets without hijacking a game is unique. Gilgeous-Alexander's seamless ability to flow within an offense is what helps him be a successful captain of the ship.

It started with a 20-point explosion in the first quarter, accounting for almost two-thirds of the team's points through the period. From there, the NBA's leading scorer didn't look back, finishing the contest with elite shooting splits of 60.0/55.6/100.0.

The double-big lineup is growing together

Having only been able to play a limited number of games together, the stifling big-man duo of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein is still fresh in the team's scheme.

Though growing pains certainly exist, flashes have often shown just how dominant this duo can potentially be. A Hartenstein lob to Holmgren was enough to cause an eruption of cheers at Paycom Center.

And if that wasn't enough to get fans excited, mere minutes later Holmgren found himself repaying his running mate with a swift alley oop pass himself.

Along with the highlight offensive plays, the two absolutely wrecked havoc on the defensive end.

In a combined 55 minutes of play, Chet and I-Hart accounted for five stocks and 16 rebounds on the night, making their presence felt in the nitty gritty aspects of the game.

Throughout the season, Oklahoma City has proven susceptible to struggle in certain matchups when missing their star bigs, so seeing these two play so well together is quality reassurance for the team.

Relentless rim pressure opens the offense

On the night, the Thunder attempted 27 free throws, knocking down 24 of them.

Oklahoma City leads the league in free throw percentage at 82.4 percent, so making them has never been an issue.

That said, what they have struggled with is actually getting to the charity stripe, as they currently sit at 28th in free throw attempts per night at 20.0, something that the media has taken notice of.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earned 10 foul shots in this outing against the Rockets, setting an example for his teammates. Secondary creators such as Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren also showcased an ability to get to the line on the night, taking four each.

Given the team shoots at such an elite clip, it should come as no surprise that the Thunder collectively notched 24 points on 88.9 percent shooting from the line.

Getting these types of calls can open up looks from deep, but there's no guarantee that those looks fall. When the shot isn't falling, this three-point-heavy squad needs an alternative to put points on the board, and the free throw line is a viable alternative.

Fortunately for them, the whistles were blowing against Houston.