Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, fueled by 31 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, rallied to beat the Sacramento Kings 107-101 on Tuesday to improve to 5-0 in the young season. The Philadelphia 76ers also remained unbeaten, erasing a double-digit deficit to improve to 4-0 with a thrilling 139-134 overtime victory over the Wizards in Washington.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who was last season’s Most Valuable Player, NBA Finals MVP, and league scoring leader, shook off a slow third quarter to score nine in the fourth as the Thunder rallied despite the absence of Chet Holmgren with a sore lower back. Aaron Wiggins and Ajay Mitchell scored 18 points apiece, and Lu Dort added 13 for Oklahoma City, who trailed by three going into the fourth quarter but finally took the lead for good, 99-97, on a Dort three-pointer with 2:33 to play. “We did what it took to win,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
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The 76ers had an even bigger mountain to climb in Washington, and they did it with guard Tyrese Maxey leading the way. Maxey — whose two 40-point performances in the opening week of action were among the record-setting 16 in the first seven days of the season — scored 39 points and handed out 10 assists, and big man Joel Embiid added 25 points before sitting out overtime. Trailing by as many as 19 in the third quarter, the Sixers tied it at 126-126 on Quentin Grimes’s three-pointer with 38.7 seconds left in regulation.
After Kris Middleton missed at the buzzer, they went to overtime, with the 76ers taking a 132-131 lead on Adem Bona’s put-back dunk and then building their cushion with three free throws from Maxey. The Wizards closed within one point with 7.6 seconds left, but a pair of free throws by Maxey and a steal and two free throws from Grimes sealed the victory. “It was really amazing to be able to pull away with this one,” Bona said. “We came together and put it together,” he said.
Grimes finished with 23 points off the bench, and Bona blocked four shots in the fourth quarter and another in overtime in a definitive defensive performance. “It feels amazing to be able to contribute to the team in any way possible,” Bona told NBC Sports Philadelphia. “It doesn’t have to be points … I’ve just got to do it the best way I do it, rebounding, blocking shots, running the floor — it feels amazing.”
Bona, who was part of Turkey’s run to the silver medal at EuroBasket earlier this year, said that experience had him razor-sharp coming into the NBA campaign. “I think that helped a lot, playing in such a high-stakes game back in Europe and also like I kind of started my season a little bit earlier, so I’m kind of like mid-season shape right now,” he said.
Eight Wizards players scored in double figures, led by center Alex Sarr’s 31 points with 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocked shots. In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points with eight rebounds and seven assists as the Bucks erased a 12-point halftime deficit to beat the New York Knicks 121-111. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 36 points but was slowed in the fourth quarter after appearing to tweak a leg. He stayed in the game, but the Bucks had all the momentum, knotting it at 103-103 on an Antetokounmpo dunk midway through the fourth, taking the lead on an Antetokounmpo layup and relentlessly pulling away.
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