Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, visiting New Orleans, never trailed as they beat the Pelicans 119-109 on Saturday night.
Jalen Williams added 27 points, while Luguentz Dort and Alex Caruso each scored 14. Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Ajay Mitchell had 10 points for the Thunder (18-5), who won their seventh game in the last eight.
For the Pelicans (5-19), Dejounte Murray led with 26 points, Herbert Jones had 24, Trey Murphy III scored 16, and CJ McCollum and Brandon Boston Jr. each added 11. Brandon Ingram, the Pelicans’ top scorer, was back after missing five games with a calf injury. He scored five points but left the game in the third quarter after hurting his left ankle.
The Pelicans were down by 26 points when Ingram got injured just 17 seconds into the second half. From then on, they couldn’t get any closer than a nine-point deficit.
Shai Gilgeous Alexander reacts in the game
Gilgeous-Alexander started strong, scoring the first six points of the game. The Thunder opened with a 10-0 run, and they built a 17-point lead as New Orleans struggled with six turnovers in the first six minutes.
Murphy scored five points and had an assist in the final three minutes of the first quarter, but Gilgeous-Alexander made all seven of his field-goal attempts and scored 16 points, helping the Thunder take a 35-23 lead by the end of the period.
Ingram made two free throws to begin the second quarter, but that was as close as the Pelicans would get. Oklahoma City scored 11 points in a row during a run that stretched the lead to 46-27. The Thunder pushed their lead to 30 points twice and led 77-51 at halftime.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have won six of their last seven games.
The New Orleans Pelicans have only won five games this season.
Even so, both teams feel good about their upcoming game on Saturday night in New Orleans for different reasons.
The Thunder, leading the Western Conference, easily defeated Toronto 129-92 on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Pelicans broke a nine-game losing streak with a 126-124 home win over Phoenix on the same night.
“We’re having a lot of fun out there,” said Oklahoma City guard Luguentz Dort.
Oklahoma City won’t underestimate New Orleans, just as they didn’t overlook Toronto, one of the worst teams in the East, or Utah. The Jazz, who are struggling like the Pelicans, were beaten by the Thunder 133-106 on Tuesday.
“It’s the NBA,” said Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 30 points in 30 minutes and didn’t play in the fourth quarter against Toronto. “It’s the best league in the world, with the most talented players.
You can’t take any team lightly because they can beat you. I never play based on a team’s record. I give it my all, and my teammates do the same, which is why we have success.”
Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans
The Thunder led the Raptors by 22 points early in the second quarter and by 34 at the end of the third quarter.
“I thought we were really ready to play from the jump,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. “The guys really came in with a business-like approach.”
Oklahoma City won the first meeting against the Pelicans 106-88 on Nov. 13. New Orleans was missing four starters and two other key players, but they are healthier now.
Guards CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray missed the first game but have since returned. The Pelicans got a boost on Thursday when leading scorer Brandon Ingram (calf) returned after missing five games, and Herbert Jones (shoulder), their best perimeter defender, returned after an 18-game absence. The win was just the second in 17 games.
“I told my teammates we just needed to get one (win),” said McCollum. “It’s been a long season, with a lot of losses and frustrating games.”
“I know it’s been hard to watch for a while. But we competed and gave ourselves a chance. I liked how we fought. If we play like that every night, we’ll have a chance to win a lot of games.”
Ingram scored 21 of his 29 points in a big third quarter, where New Orleans scored a season-high 45 points in any quarter. McCollum added 13 points and three assists in the fourth quarter, and Jones blocked Devin Booker’s 3-pointer as time expired.
“Herb Jones is a leader,” said Pelicans coach Willie Green. “Even when he wasn’t playing, he was talking to coaches and teammates. He was watching film, helping others improve.
“He shows what our program is all about. Without him on the floor, we miss a lot. You could feel his presence from the time he stepped back on the court.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a dominant 129-92 win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night.
Jalen Williams added 20 points for the Thunder, who have won two games in a row and six of their last seven. Isaiah Joe contributed 16 points, and Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed 16 rebounds and had six assists.
Ajay Mitchell came off the bench to score 13 points, Aaron Wiggins added 12, and Kenrich Williams chipped in with 10. Alex Caruso returned after missing five games due to a hip injury and scored eight points.
RJ Barrett had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Raptors, who saw their four-game home winning streak come to an end. Scottie Barnes added 12 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. Jonathan Mogbo also scored 17 points, Gradey Dick, who had missed five games with a calf injury, returned and scored 15 points, while Chris Boucher added 10 points.
The Thunder jumped out to a 34-17 lead after the first quarter and started the second quarter with a 10-4 run. Their lead grew to 26 with 7:21 left in the second when Caruso hit a 3-pointer.
Jalen Williams (NBA)
Barrett’s layup cut the deficit to 20 with 4:36 remaining. Later, Dick and Ochai Agbaji hit consecutive 3-pointers to bring the margin down to 17 with 2:29 left. Williams then turned a steal by Cason Wallace into a layup at the buzzer, giving Oklahoma City a 67-42 lead at halftime.
The Thunder, who lead the league with an average of 11.9 steals per game, had nine steals and blocked nine shots in the first half. Oklahoma City shot 50 percent (25-for-50) from the field in the first half, while Toronto struggled at 32.6 percent (15-for-46).
Gilgeous-Alexander, who is from nearby Hamilton, Ontario, made a 15-foot fadeaway jumper to extend the lead to 26 with 9:07 left in the third quarter. Wallace’s dunk and free throw made the lead 30 with 5:27 remaining, and it grew to 36 before Oklahoma City took a 99-65 advantage into the final quarter.
Toronto scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter, but Oklahoma City responded with a 4-0 run. Jakob Poeltl missed the game for Toronto due to illness.
The Toronto Raptors will aim for their fifth straight home win on Thursday night when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Raptors’ home winning streak includes two victories over the Indiana Pacers. They defeated the Pacers 130-119 on Nov. 18 and again on Tuesday, 122-111.
They will face a tough defense from the Thunder, who have won five of their last six games, including a 133-106 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. Oklahoma City took advantage of 29 Utah turnovers, scoring 45 points off them with strong defensive pressure.
Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett will be key in leading Toronto’s offense once more. Barnes scored a career-high 35 points on Tuesday, and Barrett added 29. Jakob Poeltl also had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, marking his 13th of the season. Toronto shot 54.3 percent from the field.
The Raptors believe they are getting better at closing games, even after watching their 24-point lead in the third quarter shrink to just two points with 6:36 left in the fourth.
“We got really focused on us, how we’re executing on the offensive end and defensive end,” said Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic. “I thought that our execution down the stretch in the last four to five minutes was really, really good. I think we’re getting better in that aspect.”
Barrett added, “I think we’re just starting to figure out how to win some of these games at the end. We’ve also been doing a good job from the start and giving ourselves a lead, so that even when teams make a run, we’re still OK, instead of just going all the way down.”
Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder
Barnes explained that the team raised their level of play in the final quarter.
“That fourth quarter, we did a great job locking in, getting stops, the stops that were really needed,” Barnes said. “We weren’t fouling as much as we were in the third quarter. When it came down to really trying to get a stop and focus and lock in, we know we got it done.”
The Raptors have a 6-4 record at home but are just 1-11 on the road.
Toronto turned the ball over 21 times against the Pacers on Tuesday and will face another tough challenge against the Thunder.
“Everybody’s just hunting the ball and trying to get the ball,” said Cason Wallace, who had 12 points and was one of four Thunder players to record three steals each on Tuesday.
“We did a good job from the start of our game having physicality and I think that set the tone,” said Jalen Williams, who scored 28 points and had three steals. “When we can do that early, we’re usually really good at maintaining that through the whole game.”
The Thunder finished with 18 steals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 26 points and three steals, while Aaron Wiggins contributed 16 points and three steals.
Oklahoma City shot 52 percent from the field.
“We just played with great looseness — in a good way — up the floor, sharing the ball and really fed off each other’s energy,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. “We were fast with the ball in terms of passing it up the floor, and then we were forceful on the finishes. That’s what we want to look like in a game where we have a little bit of a feeding frenzy with the turnovers.”
The Thunder have a 7-3 road record.
Oklahoma City won both games against Toronto last season, including one that went to overtime.
Jalen Williams scored 28 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 26 to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 133-106 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday in an NBA Cup game.
With this win, the Thunder finished 3-1 in the West B Group stage, keeping their chances of advancing to the knockout rounds alive. Oklahoma City has now won five out of its last six games.
The Jazz, on the other hand, lost their fifth straight game and ended the event without a win.
Despite shooting a season-high 54.3% from the field, Utah was unable to win because they attempted 32 fewer shots than the Thunder.
Oklahoma City’s strong defensive play forced Utah into 29 turnovers, tying their franchise high since the team moved to Oklahoma City. The Thunder capitalized on these turnovers, scoring 45 points off them and matching a season high with 18 steals.
Chicago Bulls’ Zach LaVine drives to the basket as Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game
The Thunder’s defense has been strong all season, and Utah, which turns the ball over the most in the NBA, struggled with that weakness again in this game.
Utah started the game hot, making 7 of their first 11 shots and building a nine-point lead midway through the first quarter. But even then, Oklahoma City was forcing turnovers. The Thunder finished the first quarter on a 22-6 run, taking a 32-25 lead.
Aaron Wiggins had a steal and three straight offensive rebounds to help the Thunder finish the quarter strong, and Gilgeous-Alexander capped it with a layup.
The Thunder continued to control the game, pushing the lead to 28-6 early in the second quarter. Utah never got closer than six points after that. By halftime, Oklahoma City was ahead by 12, having forced 19 turnovers.
In the third quarter, the Thunder opened the game wide with 16 of 20 shooting and scored 11 of their 40 points from Utah turnovers. The lead grew as large as 33 points.
Cason Wallace was the only Oklahoma City starter to play in the fourth quarter, as the Thunder led by 27 points heading into the final frame.
Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton led the Jazz with 17 points each. Kessler also grabbed 11 rebounds.
Fred VanVleet scored a game-high 38 points, and Dillon Brooks hit a midrange jumper just before the shot clock expired to give the Houston Rockets the lead for good in a 119-116 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. This game featured the top two teams in the Western Conference.
VanVleet made four free throws in the final 4.6 seconds, tying the season series at one game each and bringing the Rockets within half a game of the Thunder for the top spot in the West. Brooks’ clutch shot with 33.6 seconds left gave the Rockets a 115-113 lead after a chaotic scramble for the ball.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 32 points, while Jalen Williams added 22 points, including a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds remaining that brought the Thunder within one point. Isaiah Hartenstein recorded a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Cason Wallace scored 14 points, hitting two 3-pointers in the final moments to match VanVleet’s late 3-pointers.
The fourth quarter was tight, with seven ties. The Rockets, who were down 93-85 late in the third quarter after Gilgeous-Alexander led a 16-4 run, did not take their first lead in the fourth until VanVleet hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer with 1:29 left. Wallace responded with a 3-pointer from the corner, but the Rockets kept answering back.
Shai Gilgeous Alexander reacts in the game
Alperen Sengun (20 points, 14 rebounds) and Jabari Smith Jr. (15 points, 14 rebounds) both had double-doubles for the Rockets. Sengun also contributed nine assists, including the assist on Brooks’ crucial jumper.
Aaron Wiggins scored 13 points off the bench for the Thunder.
The Rockets used their strong offensive rebounding to overcome an early five-point deficit. Amen Thompson’s second-chance basket at the 3:38 mark of the first quarter gave Houston a 22-18 lead. Thanks to Brooks’ 10 points, the Rockets were up by eight before Gilgeous-Alexander answered with a 3-pointer to make it 33-28 at the end of the first period.
The Thunder responded with a series of 3-pointers to counter a three-point play by Jalen Green, which had given Houston their biggest lead of 45-34 with 7:58 left in the second quarter.
Kenrich Williams and Luguentz Dort hit consecutive 3-pointers to spark a comeback. Then, Wiggins and Gilgeous-Alexander hit back-to-back 3s to close the gap to four, and the Thunder were only down by two at halftime, 62-60.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points, had nine assists, and grabbed six rebounds to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Lakers 101-93 in an NBA Cup game on Friday.
The Thunder improved to 2-1 in West Group B, while the Lakers, who won the NBA Cup last year, dropped to 2-2.
Jalen Williams contributed 19 points, Luguentz Dort added 14 points, and Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 11 points and a season-high 18 rebounds. The Thunder extended their winning streak to four games.
For the Lakers, rookie Dalton Knecht led with 20 points, D’Angelo Russell came off the bench to score 17 points, and Anthony Davis recorded 15 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks. LeBron James had 12 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, while Austin Reeves chipped in with 11 points. The Lakers have now lost four of their last five games.
Gilgeous-Alexander took control in the final quarter, scoring 15 points. With 1:35 left, he made a 3-pointer to give Oklahoma City a 95-91 lead. Max Christie made a turnaround jumper with 39.9 seconds left, pulling the Lakers within two at 95-93.
Shai Gilgeous Alexander reacts in the game
Gilgeous-Alexander responded by hitting two free throws, and then Williams stole the ball from Reeves on an inbounds pass and dunked to seal the win for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City shot 40.9 percent from the field and scored 20 points off 17 turnovers by the Lakers.
The Thunder started strong, hitting seven of their first nine shots and taking a 15-6 lead with 7:43 remaining in the first quarter. They led 32-24 at the end of the first period.
Los Angeles responded with the first seven points of the second quarter to trim the deficit to one. The Lakers briefly took a 46-45 lead on a basket by Davis with 1:12 left in the first half. However, Gilgeous-Alexander and Kenrich Williams hit consecutive 3-pointers just before halftime, giving Oklahoma City a 51-48 lead at the break.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are preparing for a rematch against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in San Francisco, hoping to get revenge for a previous loss.
Earlier this month, Stephen Curry led the Warriors to a 127-116 victory over the Thunder by scoring 36 points, including seven 3-pointers. However, there will be two key differences in this game compared to their first meeting 17 days ago.
De’Anthony Melton, who made his first start for the Warriors in the earlier game, scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Unfortunately, he injured his knee in the next game and is expected to miss the rest of the season.
On the other hand, the Thunder will have Isaiah Hartenstein, who missed the first matchup with Golden State due to a broken left hand. Hartenstein, a key offseason acquisition, made his debut on November 20 against the Portland Trail Blazers and has helped the team with double-doubles in the last two wins, averaging 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Hartenstein’s return is important for Oklahoma City, especially since they have been missing Chet Holmgren, who is out with a pelvic fracture he suffered early in the game against the Warriors on November 10.
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned the team’s need for a strong interior player, and he feels that Hartenstein is a great addition to the team. “I think Isaiah fills that hole very well. Sam (Presti) did a good job filling it,” said Gilgeous-Alexander.
Stephen Curry (NBA)
Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, who have both been playing well, have led the Thunder during their two-game winning streak. The two of them combined for 65 points, which is an improvement from their combined 44 points in the loss to the Warriors earlier this month.
Golden State is entering the game on a losing streak. They lost 104-94 to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday after blowing a 17-point lead, and followed that with a 128-120 home loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday. The Warriors have not won since securing a spot in the NBA Cup quarterfinals with a victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said after Monday’s loss that his team is feeling tired, noting that their energy has been lower recently. “You can tell we had a lot more energy a couple weeks ago, so maybe it’s just the schedule catching up to us a little bit. We know we got to find that energy again,” Kerr explained.
Both teams may be missing key players for the game. The Thunder’s Alex Caruso has been ruled out due to a hip injury, and the Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga is questionable because of an illness.
Isaiah Hartenstein’s return to the court has come at a crucial time for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With star center Chet Holmgren sidelined due to a fractured pelvis, Hartenstein has become a key player for the team. He will look to build on a strong season debut when the Thunder face the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.
Hartenstein missed the first 15 games of the season after breaking his left hand. But he had a standout performance on Wednesday against the Portland Trail Blazers, scoring 13 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and blocking four shots in 29 minutes off the bench during Oklahoma City’s 109-99 win.
“He’s still a little bit rusty out there,” said Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “But he changed the game for sure. He’s an anchor. He sees everything, lets you know early and loud. And it’s great to have that behind you. It allows you to adhere to the ball, be aggressive, and be decisive defensively. Yeah, he was special.”
Hartenstein was signed by the Thunder in the offseason with a surprising three-year, $87 million contract. The big offer came after he had a career year with the New York Knicks, starting 49 games and averaging 7.8 points and a career-high 8.3 rebounds.
He was originally signed to be a supporting player in the frontcourt, but with Holmgren out for around two months after being injured against the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 10, Hartenstein’s role is expected to expand.
Chet Holmgren (NBA)
Jalen Williams, who has been playing in the frontcourt while both Holmgren and Hartenstein were out, also praised Hartenstein’s work ethic during his recovery. Williams said Hartenstein kept working on his game, even without the use of his dominant hand.
“I think just coming in there day in and day out, knowing you have to condition and work on your game without your dominant hand, is tough,” Williams said. “He made the most of it, and now he’s coming back. I didn’t really see the ramp-up, obviously. We’ve been on the road or gone when he got the cast off. I assume he was working just as hard when he got the cast off.”
Monday’s game marks the start of a tough stretch for the Thunder, who will play 10 of their next 12 games on the road.
Meanwhile, the Kings are struggling, having lost three straight games, their worst losing streak of the season. They were defeated 108-103 by the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night.
Sacramento allowed 19 three-pointers, including 13 in the first half, and committed 16 turnovers that led to 24 points for Brooklyn.
“To give up 13 made 3s the way we did in the first half is tough to live with,” Kings head coach Mike Brown said. “On top of that, we turned the ball over. We had 16 turnovers for 24 points. Somehow, someway, we have to do a better job of taking care of the basketball.”
De’Aaron Fox had a great game, scoring 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting. He has topped 30 points in three of his last five games, averaging 39.4 points during that stretch, including a franchise-record 60 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 15.
However, Fox struggled in the fourth quarter against the Nets, taking just three shots, none of which went in, and scoring only one point. Sacramento was outscored 20-15 in the final period, shooting just 6 of 23 from the field and missing all seven of their 3-point attempts.
DeMar DeRozan (18 points) was 3 of 8 in the fourth quarter, and Domantas Sabonis (13 points, 18 rebounds) was 1 of 6.
“These guys have a lot of freedom out there to do what they want out there …,” Brown said about DeRozan and Sabonis. “I would not say those guys were in his way. But we would rather see Foxy stay aggressive, too.”
Last season, the two teams split their four matchups.
