OKLAHOMA CITY — Deflecting a pass from Trae Young, Alex Caruso collected a steal. He gave the basketball to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and set a screen for the MVP runner-up, who splashed in a pull-up 3-pointer.

The defense-to-offense sequence served as the dagger. After a sluggish start put them in a 10-point hole, the Oklahoma City Thunder utilized an electric second half to collect a 128-104 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

“I thought our edge in the first half probably wasn’t what it could’ve been,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “We got that on the road in the second half. Offensively, we got to be able to create rhythm against destruction. Credit them — especially (Dyson) Daniels. Really high intensity. They were physical with us and took us out of stuff.”

In the early stages, it was evident the Thunder were on their third game in four nights. Their gas tank was nearly empty. The Hawks — who started 2-0 — had a fast start and nailed their outside shots. Atlanta held a 27-23 lead after the first quarter.

It appeared the Thunder would enter the halftime break in a double-digit deficit. A disappointing result considering the matchup. Instead, they rattled off the final seven points in less than a minute to make it a manageable 58-57 hole.

After Chet Holmgren missed a free throw, he had another attempt at a final basket but missed the fadeaway 3-pointer. Fighting underneath the basket, Jalen Williams collected the miss and flipped the basketball into a banked layup. The improbable moment injected OKC with the necessary energy boost at the halftime break.

Right out of the gates, the Thunder played with a different energy. It was almost like they found a second wind after a slow start. OKC eventually tied up the game and then retook the lead during the third quarter. After the third frame, the Thunder held an 89-86 advantage.

The Thunder opened the fourth quarter with an all-guards plus Holmgren lineup. The unorthodox look caught lightning in a bottle. They created additional space on the scoreboard. After Cason Wallace poked the ball out of Young’s pocket, Lu Dort swished in a side-step 3-pointer to give OKC a 10-point lead with a little over eight minutes left.

The Hawks called a timeout to stop the bleeding but that was a fruitless endeavor. In the blink of an eye, it went from a tight contest to a blowout. The avalanche never slowed down and kept building momentum. The Thunder scored 39 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 24-point win.

This was the Thunder’s best offensive game yet after two subpar performances. They shot 49% from the field and went 16-of-40 (40%) from 3. They shot 24-of-32 from the free-throw line. They tallied 26 assists on 44 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points. OKC’s trio once again showed out. Gilgeous-Alexander had a near 35-point triple-double. Holmgren had a near 25-point double-double. Williams scored 20 points.

Meanwhile, the Hawks shot 40% from the field and 10-of-31 (32.3%) from 3. They went 22-of-29 from the free-throw line. They had 24 assists on 36 baskets. Five Hawks players scored double-digit points.

Atlanta had no problem producing points. Its main problem was ball security. Like a swarm of inflatable tube men at a car dealership, the Thunder defense clogged passing lanes. They had 13 steals and forced 19 turnovers.

Young was the main sufferer. He finished with 24 points and eight assists but with 10 turnovers. Zaccharie Risacher drew his first start and had 13 points and six rebounds. Onyeka Okungwu and Garrison Mathews scored 14 points apiece.

The first two wins were impressive, but this was a real ‘holy crap’ victory thanks to the second half. After the first two quarters, the Thunder were on their way to a bad loss. OKC could’ve shrugged its shoulder after the slow start and mailed it in. Eh, scheduled losses happen. It was on the second night of a road-and-home backto- back. The squad didn’t land back until 4 a.m. CT the previous night.

Instead, the second half provided a jolt. The fourth quarter was a barrage of defensive stops and quick buckets. In a handful of minutes, it turned a potential upset into a lopsided joke that saw the thirdstring players play out the final minutes.

That is quite the flip of the switch the Thunder possesses. Through three games, OKC and the Boston Celtics have looked a class above the rest of the NBA.

“We have a deep team. We have a team that we like,” Daigneault said. “We like a lot of different guys. A lot of guys are new. We have new players and also evolved players. We want to check in on them. We want to figure out what we have. The only way to do that is to be aggressive about exploring that.”

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points on 11-of-24 shooting, 11 rebounds and nine assists. He shot 3-of-8 from 3 and went 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. He also had three blocks and three steals. This was easily the best game of his season on both sides of the ball.

After a 14-point first half, the 26-year-old flipped a switch — and the rest of the team followed. He scored 21 points in the second half, including 13 points in the fourth quarter.

Chet Holmgren finished with 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting, nine rebounds, six blocks and four assists. He shot 3-of-5 from 3 and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line.

Holmgren has been the league’s best defensive player to start the season. The seven-footer leads the league in blocks. He had a one-minute stretch when he tallied three quickly. He’s been the franchise QB on that end of the floor.

Needing a spark, Jalen Williams provided it in the final seconds of the first half. The Thunder looked dull to start the contest. The 23-year-old lifted them out of that rut.

Williams finished with 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals. He shot 0-of-3 from 3 and went 4-of-8 from the freethrow lines. Those are areas Williamm — and really, the whole Thunder — must improve on.

Next for the Thunder is San Antonio at home, Wednesday 30th at 8:30 p.m.

The game will be televised on ESPN.

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