OKC Thunder: Five takeaways from win against Wizards

The Thunder improved to 3-2 in the bubble with a 121-103 win against the Wizards on Sunday. 

Here are five takeaways from the game: 

3-point shooting

The Thunder took advantage of a Wizards defense that ranks last in the NBA in defensive rating. 

• Related to this story
• Article: 'Totally different': OKC Thunder adjusting to earlier game times
• Article: Tramel: Thunder beats the Washington Generals in the NBA bubble

The Thunder shot 46% from 3-point range, and its 18 3-pointers tied a season high. 

Filling in at center

Starting center Steven Adams (left leg) and backup center Nerlens Noel (right ankle) were both late scratches Sunday. 

Mike Muscala, who recently passed concussion protocol, earned the 29th start of his career and his first with the Thunder. 

Muscala drained three quick 3-pointers for nine of the Thunder’s first 16 points. He finished with 14 points. 

Bazley’s big day

Rookie Darius Bazley also played center in small-ball lineups. 

Like Muscala, Bazley stretched the floor from the five spot. Bazley was the Thunder’s leading scorer at halftime with 14 points, and he finished with a career-high 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including a 5-of-8 mark from behind the arc. 

Balanced scoring

Six Thunder players recorded double-digit scoring games. 

Bazley led the Thunder with 23 points, followed by Danilo Gallinari with 20 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 18 and Muscala, Chris Paul and Hamidou Diallo all finished with at least 10 points.

Winless Wizards

The Wizards dropped to 0-6 in the bubble. 

Playing without Bradley Beal, John Wall and Davis Bertans, Washington is young and inexperienced. 

Four of its five starters are 23 or younger. The lone veteran, point guard Ish Smith, has played for 11 teams. Smith played 30 games for the Thunder in 2014-15.