Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points in a stormy Oklahoma City Thunder victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday as LeBron James added another milestone to his career with a record-breaking 1,612th NBA regular season game.
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander bagged his seventh 40-point game of the season to help the Thunder roll to an 11th straight victory, downing Washington 132-111 on the road. Chet Holmgren added 18 points and 10 rebounds while Isaiah Hartenstein had nine points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game that saw four players ejected during a first-half brawl.
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The altercation, which halted the game for 11 minutes, came with 27 seconds remaining in the second quarter just after Oklahoma City grabbed a 68-63 lead. Thunder forward Jaylin Williams held the ball after the basket and twice bumped into Washington’s Justin Champagnie. Oklahoma City’s Ajay Mitchell came up to confront Champagnie and was smacked in the face for his trouble to ignite the brawl.
Referee Nate Green pushed Champagnie back to try and ease tensions while Mitchell kept advancing and was pushed forward and into a camera, causing a wave of players to tumble into a pile behind the baseline, all trying to support their side in the melee. After the mayhem was unraveled by the officiating crew, Champagnie, Williams, Mitchell, and Thunder teammate Cason Wallace were all ejected.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said while he disagreed with the ejections, he was pleased at how his team responded to the skirmish. “Those are emotional situations, and everybody is competitive and amped up after that,” Daigneault said. “But if you’re a true competitor, you channel that into execution, and that’s what I thought we did. We got better from that point on, which is how you have to handle those situations. I thought that was a good learning moment and good growth for us.”
Wizards coach Brian Keefe praised his team’s response to the confrontation. “Our guys stuck up for each other, which I always love,” Keefe said.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Oklahoma City’s nearest pursuers in the Western Conference — the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers — extended their respective winning streaks in contrasting fashion. The Lakers bagged their ninth straight victory with a thrilling 105-104 defeat of the Orlando Magic in Florida, with Luke Kennard’s buzzer-beating three-pointer with 0.6 seconds remaining sealing a sensational win.
The victory ensured LeBron James’ record-breaking 1,612th regular season game would be a cause for celebration for the Lakers, who are third in the West with a 46-25 record. “It was a regular prep day,” James said. “I know once I stepped on the floor that I was breaking the record, and that’s a pretty cool thing. I said the other night, the best thing you can do for your teammates is to be available and I’ve tried to be available throughout my career, two decades plus, for my guys.”
Second-placed San Antonio improved to 53-18 with their fifth straight win in a wire-to-wire 134-119 blowout over the Indiana Pacers. Keldon Johnson and Dylan Harper scored 24 points apiece while Victor Wembanyama added 20 for San Antonio. In Houston, Kevin Durant’s 27 points helped the Rockets edge the Miami Heat 123-122.
Durant’s three-pointer with 3:35 to play took him past Michael Jordan’s 32,292 career points into fifth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. “It means a lot. I’m very grateful to be able to do this here for this fanbase that shows me so much love and support in every game,” Durant said of his scoring achievement. “I’m grateful to be here and for this incredible journey it’s been. I’m looking forward to continuing.”
Elsewhere, the Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 44-27 with a 111-106 defeat of the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Atlanta Hawks eased to a 126-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
© 2024 AFP
