OKC wallops Wizards to win 11th straight NBA game

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Oklahoma City Thunder remained the hottest team in the Western Conference after dismantling the Washington Wizards, 132-111, to pick up their 11th consecutive NBA regular-season win on March 22, 2026.

Following a 29-point demolition of the Brooklyn Nets, Oklahoma did not miss a beat after delivering a surgical beatdown of the Wizards that began midway through the second quarter.

Washington put up a decent fight in the opening frame, leaning on solid offensive outputs from Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington, who matched Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren’s quick scoring outburst.

However, the Thunder picked Washington’s defense apart bit by bit in the second quarter, with two-way center Isaiah Hartenstein setting the tone with his shot-blocking and paint defense to limit Alex Sarr’s touches inside the shaded lane.

From there, Oklahoma slowly exposed Washington’s defensive miscues, starting with its collapsed perimeter defensive coverage.

In the last three quarters, the Thunder shot above 50% from the paint area as they ignored 3-point territory after going 11-of-30 from downtown.

SGA put on a mid-range clinic in the final four minutes of the third, followed by Jared McCain’s scoring punch, which put Oklahoma ahead by 16 points heading into the fourth quarter.

With all the scoring efficiency the Thunder displayed to establish the double-digit lead, it was actually their defense that broke the game wide open in the final canto as they limited the Wizards to one of their worst-scoring quarters of the regular season with just 15 points.

When Oklahoma head coach Mark Daigneault was asked who should be credited for the flawless defensive fourth-quarter performance, the NBA’s former Coach of the Year gave a huge shoutout to the trio of Holmgren, Hartenstein and Alex Caruso.

Holmgren and Hartenstein took care of the Thunder’s paint, anchoring it with their length and defensive rebounding, while Caruso again filled his role as the team’s vocal leader in covering the perimeter gaps.

As a result, Oklahoma cruised past the Wizards in the final 12 minutes of the game with a 14-point advantage, 29-15, and ballooned its biggest lead of the game to as much as 25 points.

SGA continued his record-breaking streak of consecutive games with at least 20 points as he detonated for 40 points on an efficient 17-of-27 shooting from the field, alongside seven assists, three rebounds and a steal.

McCain and Holmgren each had 18 markers, while Hartenstein wrapped up the win with a stellar do-it-all stat line of nine points, 20 boards, 10 dimes and two steals.

Oklahoma will look to extend its NBA winning streak to 12 straight games on March 24, 2026, against the Philadelphia 76ers, while the Wizards aim to end their 15-game losing streak against Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks.