OKLAHOMA CITY — Operating in the close mid-range area, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fought through defenders to splash in the short turnaround jumper. It took over three minutes, but OKC was finally on the board. From that put on, it played like the title contender they’ve been all season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the depleted Memphis Grizzlies in a 130106 win. The clash between the Western Conference’s top two teams lost its aura when the latter was without its best player.

“I thought we played with great rhythm in all parts of the game,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “Transition, in the half-court, really shared the ball, kept the ball ahead of them. I just thought our focus to do that and our energy on the other end — this is our third in four nights in three different cities — I never take that for granted either, just physically or mentally. The guys being able to bring that level of juice for close to 48 minutes was impressive.”

While not an official wireto- wire win, it had the same energy attached to it. The Grizzlies scored the first nine points and then the Thunder flipped the switch. They turned the scoreboard upside down and held a 34-31 lead after the first quarter.

The Grizzlies’ lack of scorers ultimately cost them in the second quarter. The Thunder’s eye-popping 42-19 second-frame scoring advantage turned this contest into pure comedy at the midway point. OKC held a 76-50 halftime lead.

The second half was much of the same story. The Thunder scored 26 points in the third quarter and entered the final frame with a 102-73 advantage. Gilgeous-Alexander capped off a monster night with a buzzer-beater. The fourth quarter turned pedestrian. OKC led by as many as 31 points.

The Thunder shot 51% from the field and went 14-of-44 (31.8%) from 3. They went 12-of-12 from the free-throw line. They had a season-high 35 assists on 52 baskets. Seven Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with an efficient 35 points and seven assists. Jalen Williams tallied a near 14-point triple-double. Isaiah Hartenstein also nearly accomplished that feat with 12 points. Off the bench, OKC saw some of its best production.

Ajay Mitchell had 17 points and Aaron Wiggins scored 16 points. Kenrich Williams finished with 12 points and Isaiah Joe snapped out of his funk with 11 points.

Meanwhile, the shorthanded Grizzlies shot 38% from the field and went 14-of-51 (27.5%) from 3. They went 18-of-21 from the free-throw line. They had 30 assists on 37 baskets. Six Grizzlies players scored double-digit points.

Desmone Bane totaled 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Jaren Jackson Jr. had 13 points on 3-of-17 shooting, five rebounds and four assists. Jay Huff went off for 17 points and Luke Kennard had 16 points and five rebounds off the bench.

Besides Ja Morant, the Grizzlies were also without Marcus Smart and Zach Edey. The latter was a late scratch due to the concussion protocol. Santi Aldama and Brandon Clarke were also out. All five have been starters and key rotation pieces for Memphis.

It didn’t turn into the heavyweight bout many hoped for but that’s out of the Thunder’s control. OKC steamrolled Memphis and added extra cushion to its lead for the first seed. It’s now won 11 in a row and has a franchise-best 26-5 record to start its year.

“It’s neither frustrating nor difficult,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on the Thunder missing out on star players. “It’s just something to adjust to. You’re in this league against the best players in the world. You want to play them. You get up to play them. It’s fun to play them. It’s fun to compete. It’s fun to see how good you really are. You do that by going against the best. You can’t control that but obviously it happens and all you can do is put your best foot forward and that’s all we can try to do.”