OKLAHOMA CITY — For at least one night, everything clicked. After struggling to navigate their post-Holmgren reality, Isaiah Hartenstein’s return highlighted what Sam Presti envisioned when he made his offseason moves.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 109-99 win over the Portland Trail Blazer resembled closer to a multi-hour celebration than a tight NBA contest. Despite the latter keeping it close, it never felt like the former was in danger of a second upset loss.

“I thought he gave us some energy, some life,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “We’ve grinded it out here for a week and a half without any bigs. The guys have asserted a ton of physical, mental energy in a tough stretch of schedule anyways. So just having him back brought some great energy and the way he played gave us some energy.”

The Trail Blazers held a slight 23-21 lead after the first quarter. The Thunder bounced back with a 26-point second frame. OKC entered halftime with a small 47-44 advantage. A spirit-breaking defense made offensive woes easy to forgive with Hartenstein back.

The Thunder’s defense returned to causing chaos. The Trail Blazers struggled to generate quality offenses. They couldn’t make elementary entry passes without several OKC defenders vying for the ball. Being without a QB for over a week, Hartenstein’s return brought back a loud and confident signal-caller Both teams continued to exchange baskets in the third quarter. The Thunder entered the final frame with a 70-69 advantage. Despite that, OKC remained calm. After all, it’s won 13 in a row against Portland. That was extended to 14. Even with the injuries, the Thunder were the superior squad.

They showed that in the fourth quarter with a decisive 16-5 run. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit a clinching short-range stepback jumper to push OKC’s lead to 12 points with less than two minutes left. Hartenstein’s rejection of Dalano Banton’s dunk attempt on the other end was the cherry on top of one of the more fun outings of the season.

The Thunder shot 44% from the field and went 9-of-31 (29%) from 3. They had 24 assists on 40 baskets. They went 20-of-23 from the free-throw line. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points accompanied by a busy night at the free-throw line. Jalen Williams scored an efficient 30 points. Hartenstein finished with a 13-point and 14-rebound double-double. Alex Caruso scored a season-high 17 points. Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers shot 41% from the field and went 15-of 38 (39.5%) from 3. They had 18 assists on 32 baskets. They went 20-of 28 from the free-throw line. Six Trail Blazers players scored double-digit points. Shaedon Sharpe had 21 points on 6-of-16 shooting and four rebounds. He was shut down fresh off of backto- back 3-plus point performances. Jerami Grant and Toumani Camara scored 14 points apiece. Scoot Henderson had nine points and eight assists while Donovan Clingan had 10 points and nine rebounds.

After a brutal start to their schedule, the Thunder enter a rare four-day break with good vibes. Hartenstein’s return stabilizes the center spot. OKC no longer needs to wander the NBA landscape without a big. The 26-year-old will return to a familiar role he had last season on the New York Knicks as a starter.

Through one game, he was more than worth the wait. The seven-footer unlocks levels to both sides of the ball that weren’t there with their small-ball roster. While there’s no true onefor- one replacement for Chet Holmgren, Hartenstein will bring a sense of normalcy back to OKC.

“I just thought we had a great grind-out mentality,” Daigneault said. “You’re not always going to win pretty and it’s not always going to be perfect. You’ve got to be able to have some resolve in those situations. I thought we showed that tonight.”

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 28 points on 7-of-19 shooting, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. He shot a perfect 14-of-14 from the free-throw line.

It was a dazzling entrance for a dazzling debut. Hartenstein finished with 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting, 14 rebounds, four blocks and three assists in 29 minutes off the bench. He became the second player in OKC history to record a double-double in their debut.

Jalen Williams finished with 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting, eight assists and seven rebounds. He shot 5-of-9 from 3 and went 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.