NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder beat Miami Heat
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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shooting over Andrew Wiggins of the Miami Heat during the second half of the Thunder's 124-112 NBA home victory at Paycom Center on Jan 11.
PHOTO: IMAGN IMAGES
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WASHINGTON – Reigning National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sparked defending champions the Oklahoma City Thunder to victory on Jan 11, while Anthony Edwards led the Minnesota Timberwolves’ last-minute fightback to beat the San Antonio Spurs.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half.
“We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said.
“We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow. We hit some shots in the second half and that got us going.”
Jalen Williams scored 18 points and Chet Holmgren added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, while Andrew Wiggins led the Heat with 23 points.
A day after losing at the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota edged out the visiting Spurs 104-103 on a bank shot by Edwards with 16.8 seconds to play.
Edwards had 23 points while Donte DiVincenzo scored 19, reserve Naz Reid added 17 points and 11 rebounds and Rudy Gobert grabbed 14 rebounds.
“I didn’t really have it going tonight if I’m being honest,” Edwards told ESPN. “Like I told them, I don’t care what happens in the first three quarters. Fourth quarter, three minutes, four minutes left, let me see it.
“Y’all can have 50 points. But in the fourth quarter, four minutes left, for the rest of the game, let me get it.”
Victor Wembanyama, who scored five points in San Antonio’s game-opening 16-0 run, led the Spurs with 29 points but the French star and De’Aaron Fox each missed go-ahead shots in the dying seconds.
San Antonio sit on second place in the Western Conference with a 27-12 record, 5½ games behind the Thunder, with the Timberwolves in fourth on 26-14.
Another thriller came in Canada where the Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes made the winning free throw with less than a second remaining in overtime, as the hosts edged out the Philadelphia 76ers 116-115, denying the visitors their sixth win in seven games.
Barnes led Toronto with 31 points, while Tyrese Maxey scored a game-high 38 for the Sixers.
Jamal Shead made a jumper for Toronto with 1.9 seconds to play in regulation to force overtime at 107-107. A three-pointer by V.J. Edgecombe pulled the Sixers level with 15.6 seconds remaining in overtime, before Kelly Oubre Jr’s foul on Barnes set up the deciding free throw.
In Portland, Jalen Brunson scored 26 points while O.G. Anunoby added 24 to lead the New York Knicks to a 123-114 road triumph, snapping the Portland Trail Blazers’ five-game winning streak.
Anunoby made two three-pointers in an 11-0 Knicks run to seize a 114-104 lead and Portland could not overtake New York again.
Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, while Deni Avdija led Portland with 25 points.
Elsewhere, Aaron Gordon scored 23 points and Tim Hardaway Jr had 25 off the bench to lead the Denver Nuggets over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 108-104.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Bucks.
Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic’s Desmond Bane scored 27 points as they rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 128-118 at home.
In Memphis, Cedric Coward scored a game-high 21 points and sank two three-pointers in a game-ending 13-0 run, as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the visiting Brooklyn Nets 103-98. AFP
