Oklahoma City turned Washington's second game in two nights into a long evening, beating the Wizards 114–75 on Saturday, 7 November. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points as the Thunder improved to 8–2, while Washington slipped to 4–6. The 39-point margin told the story, but the more revealing number was Washington's seven made three-pointers from 43 attempts. That's 16.3 per cent from deep — far too little return for so many possessions spent outside the arc.
The game didn't begin as a complete rout. Washington trailed 25–19 after one quarter, still close enough to imagine a contest. By half-time the deficit had stretched to 57–36, and the Thunder had already made Washington's half-court scoring look painfully difficult. Oklahoma City then pushed its advantage to 90–59 through three quarters. Rather than one sudden collapse, the Wizards suffered a steady loss of attacking options as the gap grew.
Washington's outside shooting was the clearest problem. Missing 36 three-pointers doesn't just cost points on the scoreboard; it forces an offence to keep choosing between another difficult perimeter attempt and driving into a defence that's increasingly comfortable with the rhythm of the game. The Wizards finished below 30 per cent from the field overall. Oklahoma City could keep applying pressure without needing an extraordinary scoring night of its own.
AJ Dybantsa led Washington with 19 points, and Alex Sarr supplied 15 points and 14 rebounds. Those contributions gave the visitors something to build around, particularly Sarr's work on the glass. But the wider attack couldn't connect its individual efforts. Trae Young finished with four points on one-of-six shooting after scoring 23 against Atlanta the previous night. The contrast between those outings captures how quickly Washington's offence can change when the supporting shots stop falling.
For Oklahoma City, the result was also about depth and defensive organisation. The Thunder entered the game after a 128–97 victory over Memphis, and this time held their opponents to just 75. Gilgeous-Alexander's 30 points provided the reliable offensive centre, but the defensive performance was the bigger collective statement. The Thunder didn't have to chase a shootout; they made the Wizards try to solve a difficult possession again and again.
Washington had scored 132 points in Friday's defeat to Atlanta, with Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson combining for 56. A day later, the entire team managed only 75. The change can't be explained by a single player going cold. Against Oklahoma City, Washington couldn't create enough efficient looks across its rotation, and the poor three-point conversion left almost no margin for error elsewhere. That's the issue the coaching staff needs to address before Monday's visit to Detroit: not simply making more shots, but finding a steadier way to manufacture them when the perimeter game disappears.
The official NBA box score records the matchup, while the Washington game report and CBS box score detail the scoring and individual contributions. Oklahoma City leave with another convincing win; Washington leave with a sharper question than the final margin alone suggests. Where does the next good shot come from when the first plan isn't working?
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