The Oklahoma City Thunder advanced to the Emirates NBA Cup championship on Saturday night, defeating the No. 3 seed Houston Rockets 111-96. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 32 points on 8-for-21 shooting and 14-for-15 at the stripe – he has scored at least 30 points in eight of his last nine games. Jalen Williams and Luguentz Dort combined for 39 points on 31 shots and made seven of their 14 3-point attempts.

Oklahoma City’s second-leading scorer emerged as Oklahoma City’s top offseason signing. Isaiah Hartenstein, who made his Thunder debut less than four weeks ago, scored a career-high 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting. He thrived in the dunker’s spot all night, receiving inside assists from five different players and making two putback layups. His alley-oop from Cason Wallace with two minutes to play gave Oklahoma City a crucial 10-point lead.

The big man also showed off his silky touch, making two of his four floaters – including an 11-footer midway through the first quarter. He has shot 22 of 39 (56.4%) on floaters this season, tied for the 20th-highest rate of 140 players who have shot at least 15.

The free-flowing Thunder system with Hartenstein as a nail outlet has given him consistent scoring opportunities. Oklahoma City’s new center has made 9.5 field goals per game this season, by far the most of his career – his previous full-season high was 5.4 per game with the 2021-22 LA Clippers.

Hartenstein’s game-to-game volume coincided with more attempts on a quota basis, as he made a career-high 15.2 shots per 100 possessions. His 60.4% 2-point percentage is a slight decline compared to his lifetime 61.5% shooting from inside the arc, although he missed all four three-pointers he attempted.

The German big man posted a 21-point performance after just 10 games with the Thunder, which was no coincidence. He has taken at least 10 shots in five games – already matching his frequency last season – and at least seven shots in nine games. Hartenstein’s 18.2% usage rate trails only Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Aaron Wiggins in Oklahoma City’s fully healthy rotation.

Hartenstein and the Thunder will face the Milwaukee Bucks in the Emirates NBA Cup Championship this Tuesday, December 17th at 7:30pm CST.