The explosive fourth quarter secures the OKC Thunder's home opener against the Hawks

The Oklahoma City Thunder improved to 3-0 with their third straight win, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 128-104 on Sunday night.

The Thunder forced 19 turnovers in Atlanta, including 10 by point guard Trae Young, illustrating their positive defensive play across the roster. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace each had three steals.

Gilgeous-Alexander posted his best all-around performance of the young season with 35 points on 11-for-24 shooting and 10-for-11 on free throws, 11 rebounds, nine assists, three steals and three blocks. He also had a game-high +24 plus-minus.

Chet Holmgren had his third straight game over 20 points, finishing the game with 25 points on 8-for-12 shooting. He made three 3-pointers on five attempts after going 0-for-10 in the Thunder's first two games, and had nine rebounds, six blocks and four assists.

Jalen Williams scored 20 points on 17 shots, along with nine rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Luguentz Dort had an efficient shooting night, scoring 16 points with four 3-pointers on six attempts.

The Thunder started their third different lineup in three games, with Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, Williams and Dort, along with Aaron Wiggins.

Hawks point guard Trae Young, who entered the night averaging 34.0 points per game and shooting at 64.4%, hit two early 3-pointers over the break – the second from 34 feet away.

Midway through the first quarter, Holmgren sank his first 3-pointer of the season against a Clint Capela finisher. Dort and Wiggins made their first attempts from downtown with open looks, a positive sign after Oklahoma City shot 13 of 53 on 3-pointers in games at Denver and Chicago with the nearest defender at least six feet away.

Atlanta grabbed seven offensive rebounds in the first quarter to give themselves a 27-23 lead as they shot 40% from the field and committed two more turnovers than the Thunder. No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, making his first NBA start, recorded five points and two assists in the opening period.

Early in the second quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander swung a pull-up jumper from his left elbow and made a driving layup while strong Dyson Daniels defended him well. Gilgeous-Alexander and Isaiah Joe hit consecutive triples to keep Oklahoma City afloat.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault received a technical foul with 9:51 left in the second quarter, citing the previous possession as supposedly disregarded. Cason Wallace had just committed an off-play foul, giving Oklahoma City two technical fouls on the field. Hawks guard Garrison Mathews, who had already made two 3-pointers, made both subsequent free throws.

After a kickout pass from Alex Caruso, Dort hit a high-flying three-pointer from the top of the key for his third three-pointer in three attempts. On the ensuing possession, he hit two free throws, tying the game at 41-41.

Young then sparked a 9-0 Hawks run by hitting four free throws and making a one-floater in front of a charging Wiggins. The Hawks made 14 of their 17 free throw attempts in the first half.

The Thunder cut an eight-point lead over Atlanta in the final minute of the second quarter to 58-57 at halftime. Holmgren made a three-pointer from the left wing and drew a 3-point foul on Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu, who hit his right arm on the follow-up. The Thunder secured an offensive rebound on the third free throw, with Williams cleaning up a Holmgren airball for a layup as time expired.

Holmgren served Williams with a searing dunk right after halftime, giving Oklahoma City a 59-58 lead, its first in four minutes into the game. Gilgeous-Alexander fended off a charge from Young and blocked a jumper from Daniels on consecutive possessions, each resulting in points for the Thunder.

Oklahoma City had an eight-point lead after two free throws from Wiggins, but Mathews and former Thunder forward Vit Krejci made back-to-back wing 3-pointers to force a Daigneault timeout.

Okongwu hit a three-pointer in the left corner to give Atlanta an 82-81 lead, and immediately Joe and Mathews dueled outside the mark. The Thunder led 89-86 after three quarters on a left-handed layup by Wallace.

Gilgeous-Alexander made his mark throughout the fourth quarter, collecting eight points, three rebounds, one assist and one block in the first four minutes. Wallace picked Young's pocket at the top of the key several times. Dort converted a three-pointer from the right corner to make it 102:92 for Oklahoma City and forced a timeout for the Hawks.

Rookie guard Ajay Mitchell connected with Holmgren for an alley-oop dunk. Daniels fouled Williams to prevent a layup on the next possession, although the third-year forward hit both free throws for the Thunder's 109-95 lead, their largest margin of the night.

Holmgren faked Capela at the free throw line for an explosive dunk. Gilgeous-Alexander made a left-field 3-pointer after a Caruso steal, extending Oklahoma City's lead to 16 points.

The Thunder will face the San Antonio Spurs in their second straight home game on Wednesday, October 30 at 8:30 p.m. CST.

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