Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 31 points as Thunder beat Grizzlies, Nuggets down Jazz, and Celtics rally from 20 down to defeat Pacers
SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER scored 31 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 119-103 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
The reigning NBA MVP helped his team bounce back from a defeat last Friday in Minnesota.
“We weren’t at our best tonight but we did enough to win — but we’ve still got to get better,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
Memphis started brightly with an early seven-point lead before Oklahoma City took control in the second quarter.
Jalen Williams backed Gilgeous-Alexander with 24 points, while Ajay Mitchell added 16 off the bench.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s performance extended his streak of scoring 20 or more points to 100 consecutive games.
He is 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 win improved the Thunder’s Western Conference-leading record to 26-3.
In Denver, the Nuggets kept pace with a 135-112 win over the Utah Jazz.
Nikola Jokic recorded his 14th triple-double of the season with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists.
Jamal Murray led the scoring with 27 points for the Nuggets, who improved to 21-7.
In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics staged a major comeback to beat the Indiana Pacers 103-95.
The Celtics trailed by 20 points early in the third quarter before outscoring Indiana 60-34 in the second half.
Jaylen Brown scored 14 of his 31 points in the final period to seal the victory.
The win was Boston’s third in a row, placing them third in the East.
