Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder got back to winning ways with a 119-103 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander led the scoring to give the Thunder a morale-boosting victory after their defeat in Minnesota on Friday.
“We weren’t at our best tonight but we did enough to win — but we’ve still got to get better,” Gilgeous-Alexander told NBC television. Memphis flirted with an upset after starting brightly, taking an early seven-point lead in the first quarter before Oklahoma City took control in the second quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander was backed by 24 points from Jalen Williams while Ajay Mitchell had 16 off the bench.
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Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31-point contribution extended his incredible scoring streak. The Canadian star has now scored 20 points or more in 100 consecutive games, making him only the second player to achieve that feat after Wilt Chamberlain. “My teammates let me shoot whatever shots I want to out there,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “The coaching staff trust me and I put in the work to get better each and every day.” The win improved Oklahoma City’s record to 26-3 at the top of the Western Conference standings. The Thunder play second-placed San Antonio on Tuesday.
In other games on Monday, the Denver Nuggets kept up their pursuit of Oklahoma City in the West with a 135-112 pummeling of the Utah Jazz in Colorado. The Nuggets (21-7) led from start to finish with Nikola Jokic grabbing 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists for his 14th triple double of the season and the 178th of his career. Only Oscar Robertson (181) and Russell Westbrook (207) have scored more triple doubles than the Denver star. Jokic was backed with 27 points from Jamal Murray while Tim Hardaway Jr. had 21 off the bench for Denver. Cameron Johnson and Peyton Watson added 20 points each.
In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics extended their winning streak to three games with a 103-95 defeat of the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics looked to be heading to a humbling defeat after Indiana (6-23) sprinted into a 20-point lead early in the third quarter. But Boston outscored Indiana 60-34 in the second half to grab a win which leaves them in third place in the East behind leaders Detroit and the New York Knicks. Jaylen Brown led the Boston fightback, rattling in 14 of his 31 points in the final period as the Celtics squeezed home.
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