Gilgeous-Alexander, silent sans the times he’d clap on a miss, stepped into 3 after 3.  This was the shot that would change their games. The money maker. The ceiling raiser. The shot coach Mark Daigneault begged for more of from Williams.

The Thunder's universal praise is music to fans' ears but a siren song to those within the team. It's seductive to consume the title hype and let it get to their head, but OKC is doing everything within its power to not let that lull the youngest first seed in league history to complacency.

The Oklahoma City Thunder held practice on Sunday. They are amid a four-day break between their preseason slate. OKC has two preseason outings left before its 2024-25 regular-season opener against the Denver Nuggets on Oct. 24.