There are a few chants that can be heard at every OKC Thunder game.
There are “Luuuuu” chants when Lu Dort get introduced as a starter. There are “MVP” chants when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander goes to the free-throw line.
But there was a new chant Saturday during the Thunder’s 144-110 home win over the Kings.
“Aaron Wiggins,” the Paycom Center crowd echoed. “Aaron Wiggins.”
It was well deserved.
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On a night when OKC was without Jalen Williams due to a wrist injury, Wiggins shined in a starting role. He erupted for career highs of 41 points and 14 rebounds in 40 minutes.
Gilgeous-Alexander also finished with 29 points and nine assists, and Dort chipped in 20 points and eight rebounds.
But the night belonged to Wiggins, who became just the seventh player in franchise history to score at least 40 points in a game. OKC (38-9) will continue its four-game homestand when it hosts Milwaukee at 7 p.m. Monday.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
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Wiggins, OKC come out swinging in the first half
Wiggins looked like a veteran boxer early in the second quarter.
After gathering a pass on the perimeter, the OKC guard delivered a few jab steps to feel out his defender, Isaac Jones. Each one sent Jones reeling by a few inches. He was hesitant to get within striking distance.
And that played right into the hands of Wiggins, who unleashed a high-arcing 3-pointer once he got enough space. It sailed over the outstretched hands of Jones before it found the bottom of the net.
That was one of the many haymakers landed early on by OKC. The Thunder jumped out to an 82-55 lead at halftime, and it fell just one point shy of a franchise record for the most points scored in a half.
OKC could do no wrong. It went 32 for 52 from the field (61.5%) and 11 for 17 from deep (64.7%).
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 of those 82 first-half points, and Wiggins chipped in 19 points of his own. It was a dominant showing by the Thunder, which kept connecting on its punches throughout the night en route to the knockout.
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OKC keeps Domantas Sabonis contained on the glass
Domantas Sabonis is a bulldozer in the paint, clearing out even the tallest of trees if they stand in his way.
It’s no wonder the Sacramento big man entered Saturday averaging a league-leading 14.5 rebounds per game. But he had trouble creating space down low against OKC.
Sabonis got held to 16 points and seven rebounds in what was a group effort by the Thunder.
Hartenstein and Wiggins recorded 14 rebounds apiece, while Jaylin Williams racked up 13 rebounds. Kenrich Williams also snagged 11 boards.
OKC recorded a franchise-record 70 rebounds compared to Sacramento’s 37. It also recorded 20 offensive rebounds compared to the Kings’ nine.
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Cason Wallace exits game with right shoulder strain
Cason Wallace exited the game late in the first quarter with a right shoulder strain. He did not return.
The injury is something to monitor for OKC, which is already without another key perimeter defender in Alex Caruso. He has missed the Thunder’s last two games due to a left ankle sprain.
Wallace finished Saturday with two points and two steals in nine minutes. He entered the contest with averages of 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 27.8 minutes.
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Thunder vs. Bucks
TIPOFF: 7 p.m. Monday at Paycom Center (FanDuel Sports Network)
