OKLAHOMA CITY — Walking over to the scorer’s table, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had to do something that hadn’t been asked of him for most of the season. For the first time in what’s felt like forever, the reigning MVP wasn’t given a short shift. He was asked to play the fourth quarter.

The Oklahoma City Thunder survived the Sacramento Kings in a 113-99 win. While on paper this is a lopsided matchup, a third contest within the month between these teams has helped them become more familiar with each other.

The first quarter saw both teams go back and forth. While Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren had some easy looks, Dennis Schroder played like somebody who wants his starting spot back. The Thunder had a 27-25 lead after the first frame.

The Thunder created a little bit more wiggle room, but the Kings were always there. Schroder dove for a loose ball that had him jump over the scorer’s table and land among the fans. Sam Presti tapped his back to make sure he was good. Sacramento put up its best fight yet against OKC.

The Thunder scored 31 points in the second frame. They entered halftime with a modest 58-50 lead over the Kings. Zach LaVine’s halfcourt heave rattled in, but a review confirmed it didn’t count.

To downsize with Sacramento’s guard-heavy lineup, the Thunder went with Alex Caruso over Isaiah Hartenstein to start the second half. The adjustment worked. Caruso grabbed his miss and swung it out to Holmgren for the muchneeded outside make. Just like that, OKC was up by double-digit points.

And then the Kings slowly got back into it. A string of possessions that resulted in circus turnovers helped with that cause. Malik Monk got hot from the outside. Down to a single-digit lead, Gilgeous-Alexander helped the Thunder finish strong. They scored 25 points in the third frame and had an 83-69 lead.

Teetering on whether the score justified ruining Gilgeous-Alexander’s ‘no fourth quarter’ narrative, the Kings kept it close enough to warrant his return to the court. That’s about a moral victory. The Thunder didn’t need much out of him. Instead, Lu Dort got hot and hit some timely outside buckets.

The Thunder led by as many as 18 points. Aside from an injury scare by Cason Wallace, everything went their way. Fouled on an outside shot, Gilgeous-Alexander sealed it at the freethrow line. He was rained in the loudest ‘MVP’ chants yet this season. Expect those only to grow louder. They matched the Kings with 30 points apiece in the final frame.

The Thunder shot 47% from the field and went 10-of-38 (26.3%) from 3. They shot 21-of-23 on free throws. They had 22 assists on 41 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 33 points and eight rebounds. Holmgren had 21 points and seven rebounds. Dort scored 14 points with four outside makes. Wallace had 12 points. Ajay Mitchell tallied 13 points and six assists.

Meanwhile, the Kings shot 44% from the field and went 8-of-28 (28.6%) from 3. They shot 15-of-23 on free throws. They had 21 assists on 38 baskets. Four Kings players scored double-digit points.