NBA champs Oklahoma City Thunder roll past Washington Wizards
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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander passing the ball during the 127-108 NBA win over the Washington Wizards at Paycom Centre in Oklahoma City on Oct 30, 2025.
PHOTO: IMAGN IMAGES
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LOS ANGELES – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered another dominant performance, as defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder remained perfect in the young National Basketball Association (NBA) season with a 127-108 home victory over the Washington Wizards on Oct 30.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Finals MVP, scored 31 points with three rebounds and seven assists.
He then sat out the fourth quarter as the Thunder polished off their sixth straight win.
Two days after they clawed back to beat the Sacramento Kings, the Thunder took charge early, building a 59-49 half-time lead and never trailing in the second half.
Isaiah Joe and Ajay Mitchell added 20 points each off the bench for Oklahoma City, who took advantage of 22 Wizards turnovers.
The Thunder were again without injured Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, and they have been rocked this week by the news that 20-year-old guard Nikola Topic is undergoing treatment for testicular cancer.
But the season debut of Joe, who missed the first five games with a bruised knee, was a welcome jolt of on-court energy.
“He hit the ground running,” coach Mark Daigneault said.
“Man, my teammates, I’ve got to give them all the credit – they find me when I’m open,” Joe said in an on-court interview. “The rest, I just had to do my job and make shots.”
Turnovers also bedevilled the Golden State Warriors as they dropped a 120-110 decision to the Bucks in Milwaukee, despite the absence of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Warriors star Stephen Curry scored 27 points on eight-of-19 shooting and Jonathan Kuminga added 24 points, but 19 turnovers were too much for Golden State to overcome.
Two-time MVP Antetokounmpo, averaging 36.3 points over the first four games of the season, was a late scratch with a sore left knee.
But Ryan Rollins stepped up with a career-high 32 points to lead the Bucks against his former team.
Rollins closed out the win with a step-back three-pointer with 24.8 seconds left to post the first 30-point game of his career.
“Feels great,” he said in an on-court interview. “Doesn’t get better – we got a W.
“(I was) just out there playing aggressive, looking for my shot, getting downhill, creating stuff for others and myself.”
He said the Bucks knew that without Antetokounmpo they had to be aggressive.
“Don’t pass up any open shots,” he said. “Everybody had that mindset and on defence, we just had to pick up full court, play aggressive. That’s what we did – we came out and with the W.”
The San Antonio Spurs also remained unbeaten, improving to 5-0 for the first time in franchise history with a 107-101 home victory over the Miami Heat.
French star Victor Wembanyama scored 27 points and grabbed his season-high 18 rebounds for the Spurs, adding six assists, a steal and five blocked shots for good measure.
Stephon Castle added 21 points for San Antonio, who beat a Heat team led by Bam Adebayo’s 31 points.
The Heat twice took a one-point lead on Adebayo baskets early in the fourth quarter, but Devin Vassell’s three-pointer – off a feed from Wembanyama – put San Antonio ahead 93-91 with 5:26 remaining and the Spurs pulled away from there.
In Charlotte, the Orlando Magic recorded just their second win in six games with a 123-107 triumph over the Hornets. AFP
