OKLAHOMA CITY — Wrapping the basketball behind his back, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down the coldblooded fading mid-range jumper against Marvin Bagley III. The circus shot pushed OKC’s lead to 21 points. It highlighted a monster fourth-quarter run.

The Oklahoma City Thunder messed around with their food before collecting a 123-105 win over the Washington Wizards. A stressful first three quarters became a distant memory in the fourth frame when OKC played like a title contender while Washington played like the league’s worst team.

“I thought everybody was ready to play tonight. Good depth,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “The depth was on display. Everybody was ready to go. I thought the first half defensively, one through 11, we just weren’t where we needed to be and then we course-correct in the game.”

Early on, the Wizards put a scare in OKC. They refused to lay down against the Thunder and held a 32-29 lead after the first quarter. The second frame was a different story. The Thunder utilized a 17-2 run to flip the lead and create space on the scoreboard. They scored 38 points in the quarter and held a 67-63 halftime advantage.

Likely because of their overall situations, the body language from both sides were complete opposites. Washington played loose and carefree. Jordan Poole swished in a halfcourt 3-pointer in the first half’s final seconds and talked to fans. The streaky scorer had a hot first half.

Meanwhile, the Thunder tensed up. They missed quality look after quality look from deep. The 3-point woes have been an ongoing storyline and that continued against the worst team. The possibility of a massive upset slowly crept into OKC’s minds.

The start of the second half didn’t do much to soothe those worries.

Both teams exchanged points in the third quarter. The Wizards cut it to as little as a two-point deficit. What likely should’ve been a stress-free fourth quarter turned into a close contest as the Thunder tried to avoid disaster.

Like taking a video game more seriously, the Thunder reminded the Wizards why they’re on opposite sides of the NBA’s highway. OKC’s 91-87 lead after three quarters quickly escalated to 110-89 thanks to a 19-2 run. The five-minute avalanche turned what could’ve been a nail-biter into a lopsided victory.

The Thunder cruised the rest of the way. The decisive run was part of OKC’s 32-point fourth quarter. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went off. He showed what type of player rebuilding Washington eventually hopes to land. Tough shot after tough shot, his raw talent was too much to keep up with.

The Thunder shot 44% from the field and went 10-of-38 (26.3%) from 3. They shot 19-of-22 from the free-throw line. They had 25 assists on 47 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 41 efficient points. Jalen Williams had 17 points, and Isaiah Hartenstein collected a 16-point double-double. Ajay Mitchell also had a 16-point double-double off the bench in his best game yet.

Meanwhile, the Wizards shot 40% from the field and went 16-of-43 (37.2%) from 3. They shot 17-of-20 from the freethrow line. They had 25 assists on 36 baskets. Five Wizards players scored double-digit points.

Poole finished with 31 points on 9-of-20 shooting, seven assists and three rebounds. He shot 5-of-12 from 3 and went 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and 16 rebounds. Malcolm Brogdon helped with 12 points and five assists.

The Wizards’ season is more about player development. A trio of rookies command the spotlight. Alex Sarr was out but Carlton Carrington and Kyshawn George showed flashes. Both rookies scored double-digit points.

It took a little bit, but this eventually turned into a lopsided win for the Thunder. The Wizards’ hot outside shooting kept them in it for three quarters, but OKC overwhelmed them in the fourth quarter to make the final seven minutes disinteresting.

“I thought we were a little loose in the first half defensively and they made us pay,” Daigneault said. “They made some shots, made some plays and then I thought in the third quarter we got that in a good spot despite not having a great offensive quarter. Then we started the fourth and put it all together.”

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 41 points on 14-of-25 shooting, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals. He shot 3-of-6 from 3 and went 10-of-10 from the freethrow line.

What makes this outing even more impressive is Gilgeous-Alexander’s slow start. He only scored two points in the first quarter. Instead of playing the entire first quarter, Daigneault switched up his rotation a bit. This meant 39 points came in three quarters — an eye-popping scoring pace. Washington’s lack of top talent exposed itself in the later stages.

Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. It was another double-double for the 26-year-old. That’s been almost a guarantee since he became a starter.

In a battle of the beefy bigs, Hartenstein matched up well with Valanciunas. Likely having bad playoff memories from last year, the Wizards’ seven-footer was invisible.

Mitchell had his best game yet. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, 12 rebounds and two assists off the bench. The 22-year-old has been OKC’s most impactful rookie this season, an ironic twist considering he was the last player picked for its draft class.

The Thunder are desperate for an extra ball-handler to run the bench lineups and Mitchell has been the closest answer. This was his first career double-double and was a plus-20 in 22 minutes. He’s been a pleasant surprise for OKC this year.

The loudest reactions from the pre-Christmas crowd involved Jaylin Williams. After missing the first 27 games with a hamstring strain, the 22-yearold finally made his season debut.

Both times Williams jogged towards the scorer table to check in, the OKC crowd gave him a defeating ovation that rivaled a playoff game-winner. He finished with three points on 1-of-3 shooting and two assists in eight minutes.

It didn’t take long for Williams to swish in his first 3-pointer. After AJ and Big Justice snatched his ‘Boom!’ catchphrase, the third-year center hopes to regain that crown one outside shot at a time.

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