Dec. 28—OKLAHOMA CITY — Though both Oklahoma City and San Antonio are in the midst of rebuilds, one team looked to be farther ahead on Tuesday.

It was the Thunder, who used a 14-point advantage in the fourth quarter to take a 130-114 win at Paycom Center.

By the time Shai Gilgeous-Alexander checked into the fourth quarter with six minutes left, the Thunder led by 12 points — a stark contrast to the 95-93 lead the Thunder had when he left the floor after the third quarter.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 10-of-11 from the free throw line, but the rest of the roster played well.

Thunder rookie Jalen Williams finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Tre Mann scored 14 points while Aaron Wiggins added 12, and Josh Giddey finished with seven points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

The Thunder were hot from outside, shooting 13-of-24 (54.2 percent) from the 3-point line. They also had a massive advantage at the free throw line, finishing 25-of-31 compared to the Spurs’ 12-of-14.

It was the final game of a sevengame handstand, and the win marked the Thunder’s fourth during this stretch. It now heads onto the road to take on the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, Dec. 29.

Here are three other thoughts from the Thunder’s 16-point win against the Spurs.

Battle of the young players While the Spurs weren’t able to sweep their back-to-back, there were some individual bright spots for the young roster.

Jeremy Sochan, who went ninth overall in the 2022 NBA draft, finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Devin Vassell scored 20 points. Keldon Johnson scored 19 points.

“(Sochan) is a versatile player,” Thunder coach Dangeault said. “He’s a guy that has a bright future.”

The Spurs showed great poise following head coach Gregg Popovich’s ejection in the second quarter. Assistant coach Brett Brown took over coaching duties for the remainder of the game.

Aleksej Pokusevski leaves with an injury In the opening two minutes, the Thunder’s third-year forward landed on the floor in clear pain and immediately called for a substitution. Pokusevski needed help getting off the court and was escorted through the tunnels.

Daigneault said the team will know more about Pokusevski’s lower-leg injury in the next few days.

In his absence, Darius Bazley and Mike Muscala were given extended looks. After playing four total minutes in the last 13 days, Bazley played 22 minutes and finished with seven points. Muscala also played 21 minutes and finished with a season-high 19 points.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl injury update Before the game, Daigneault provided an update on Robinson-Earl, who’s been out with an ankle sprain since Dec. 12.

Daigneault said that Robinson-Earl is still a “ways away” from returning and that he is still considered day-to-day. Since being out, Robinson-Earl has been spotted in some practice sessions putting in light dribbling work.

In 26 games, Robinson-Earl is averaging 8.5 points, five rebounds and shooting 38.2 percent from 3 on 2.9 attempts.