Oklahoma City Thunder hold off Portland Trail Blazers to avenge lone defeat of NBA season
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Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder driving to the basket against Shaedon Sharpe of the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half of the Thunder's 123-115 NBA win at Moda Center on Nov 30.
PHOTO: AFP
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LOS ANGELES – National Basketball Association (NBA) reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, avenged their only defeat of the season on Nov 30, using a fourth-quarter surge to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 123-115 and improve to a 20-1 record.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 points to lead six Thunder players in double figures.
With their 12th straight win, Oklahoma City are off to the best start after 21 games since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors opened the season 21-0.
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander’s 93rd straight regular season game with at least 20 points is the second-longest such streak, behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 126 straight set from October 1961 to January 1963.
He surpassed a 92-game streak set by Chamberlain from February 1963 to March 1964.
Centre Chet Holmgren added 19 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots and a steal for the Thunder, who opened the final period on an 8-0 scoring run to gain the upper hand in a tense clash that featured 15 lead changes.
Oklahoma City suffered their only defeat of the season against the Blazers on Nov 5, when the Thunder squandered a 22-point lead and fell 121-119 at Portland.
The Blazers again put them to the test, taking an 87-85 lead into the final period.
Deni Avdija led the Trail Blazers with a triple-double of 31 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists, but the Thunder wouldn’t be denied.
Aaron Wiggins came up with a steal and a basket to launch the fourth-quarter opening burst. Holmgren produced a massive block then made a lay-up.
Jalen Williams threw down a dunk, Ajay Mitchell made a lay-up from another steal and suddenly the Thunder had a six-point lead less than two minutes into the final frame.
“(We) got a lot of turnovers in that stretch, which goes down to playing hard, being in the right spots, really cracking down on the game plan,” Williams said. “I think that kind of opened up the game.
“It gave us a lot more flow. Anytime you can get open lay-ups in transition and offence, it just gives you more flow to the game, gives you more incentive to play defence, and we did that.”
Elsewhere, the Atlanta Hawks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 142-134 in double-overtime to spoil Sixers big man Joel Embiid’s return from a nine-game injury absence.
It was tied 132-132 with 2:44 left in the second overtime when Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson drilled back-to-back three-pointers and the Hawks held on for a fourth victory in five games.
Johnson led the Hawks with 41 points and 14 rebounds and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 34 points.
Tyrese Maxey scored 44 points for Philadelphia, including a basket to force overtime, and Embiid added 18 points in his first game since Nov 8.
In Los Angeles, Luka Doncic scored 34 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and handed out seven assists as the Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 133-121 despite missing LeBron James, who was sidelined with a foot injury. AFP
