San Francisco (United States) (AFP) – The Oklahoma City Thunder staved off a ferocious Golden State Warriors fightback to bag their 13th consecutive win on Tuesday, pulling away 124-112 in their heavyweight NBA showdown. Reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points to steer the reigning NBA champions to a win that leaves them on 21-1 at the top of the Western Conference standings.
Oklahoma City had looked poised to deliver a crushing win after romping into a 63-44 half-time lead at the Chase Center in San Francisco. The Warriors were missing the injured Stephen Curry while Jimmy Butler limped out at half-time. But Golden State exploded for 44 points in the third quarter to turn the game on its head, and even edged into the lead in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma regrouped in the final period, and Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren combined for 16 points down the stretch to get the Thunder over the line.
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“Games are gonna look different every night,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “(Sometimes) we’re gonna win big, sometimes we’re gonna have to gut something out. But regardless, we stayed in the moment and did whatever it took to get the W (win).”
– Celtics roar back –
Jaylen Brown finished with 42 points as the Boston Celtics came from behind to defeat the New York Knicks 123-117. A Celtics team struggling to find their best form with a new-look roster appeared headed for a rocky evening at their TD Garden after the Knicks opened up a 14-point lead early in the second quarter. Boston came roaring back to outscore their Eastern Conference rivals 37-20 in the second, grabbing a 58-52 lead at half-time.
The Celtics looked firmly on course for a comfortable win after another third-quarter scoring spree, pouring in 36 points to stretch the lead to 18 early in the fourth quarter. That was the catalyst for a fourth-quarter rally from the Knicks, who erupted for 41 points in the final frame on the back of 17 points from Mikal Bridges and 11 from Karl-Anthony Towns. The Celtics did just enough to hold on and claim a win that sees them improve to 12-9 for the season.
“Just a great team victory all around,” Brown told NBC television. “We started off slow, but that’s why there’s four quarters for a reason. We’re getting better every day. Don’t count us out — we’re just learning and growing. We got a new group and a bunch of young guys that’s playing for the first time. I’m proud of what I’m seeing so far. We got to keep it going.”
Bridges led the Knicks scoring with 35 points including eight three-pointers, with Towns finishing with 29 points. Anthony Edwards dropped 44 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves downed the New Orleans Pelicans 149-142 in overtime to improve to 13-8. The San Antonio Spurs outlasted the Memphis Grizzlies 126-119 while the Toronto Raptors squeezed past the Portland Trail Blazers 121-118.
© 2024 AFP
