OKLAHOMA CITY — After a poster dunk rattled out, Jalen Williams was quickly given a chance at redemption. Ajay Mitchell sealed off a passing lane and created a steal. Seconds later, Williams soared and slammed it down with two hands.

The Oklahoma City Thunder survived the battle of attrition against the depleted New Orleans Pelicans with a 106-88 win. OKC has won both games in its small-ball era since Chet Holmgren suffered a hip fracture.

“I thought we played with better force in the second half offensively,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought we were a little sluggish in the second quarter on offense. And our physicality 42 minutes on was really good tonight.”

In the early stages, it felt like the Pelicans would end their five-game loss skid. They scored the first seven points in a hurry. The Thunder trailed 18-6 in the opening minutes. They were on upset alert. But OKC quickly snapped out of its funk with a 20-5 run. It held a 33-28 lead after the first quarter.

The Thunder led the rest of the way but the Pelicans kept it close through the second quarter. OKC only held a 54-50 halftime lead. OKC’s 23-9 run in the third frame created a cushion. After a hot start, New Orleans’ lack of scorers was exposed. The Thunder scored 28 points in the third quarter and held an 82-68 advantage.

The fourth quarter was inconsequential. The Thunder ballooned their lead to 22 points. This was a scheduled win for OKC. The Pelicans’ injury report was lengthier than a CVS receipt. It was headlined by Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray and CJ McCollum’s absences.

The short-handed Thunder received some help from the scheduling gods. Only the Pelicans have a worse health situation than OKC. Its entire center rotation and Alex Caruso might’ve been out, but it had enough top-end talent to cruise to a win.

The Thunder shot 44% from the field and went 15-of-39 (38.5%) from 3. They had 20 assists on 39 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points. What they lacked in size, they made up in deflections. OKC had 16 steals and forced 24 turnovers.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams played like an All-Star duo. Gilgeous-Alexander had 29 points and Williams tallied 31 points. This is what OKC will need with Holmgren out. Through two games, the duo has headlined the Thunder’s small remaining roster.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans shot 40% from the field and went 9-of-37 (24.3%) from 3. They had 21 assists on 34 baskets. Four Pelicans players scored double-digit points. No team in the league has been hit harder by injuries than New Orleans. It’s on its way to a lost season because of this.

Brandon Ingram was limited to 18 points on 7-of-18 shooting, six rebounds and six assists. Trey Murphy III had 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting. Yves Missi recorded a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.

The Thunder continue to survive without a center. A soft schedule in the coming days will help with that. Help is also on the way though. Isaiah Hartenstein will stabilize the starting lineup once he returns from his fractured hand. He was spotted without a hand brace for the first time, signaling a close return.

“There are natural trade-offs you have when you play smaller and obviously we’re playing smaller right now,” Daigneault said. “We want to be a team that can offset our vulnerabilities with our strengths. I think sometimes, you get tempted from a coaching standpoint to focus on all the things that are going wrong. Sometimes the solution is to do your best stuff better and I thought that’s what we did tonight.”