The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the NBA's best record Boston Celtics 127-123 on Tuesday, snapping a six-game winning streak over its visitors.
At the Bagham Center, Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander imposed himself as the top scorer for the winners with 36 points, which he added 6 rebounds and 7 assists, while 5 Thunder players finished with 10 points or more.
Australian Josh Goode scored 23 points, Jaylen Williams had 16 points, and Seth Homgren had 14 and 7 assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander praised his rival Celtics: “The players have reached the regional finals many times, won a lot of games, and have the best record in the league.”
He continued: “We know we will have to fight throughout the match if we want to beat them. “No matter how big the lead, we know they won't give up.”
After the Celtics closed the first half with a 61-58 lead, the Thunder surged in the third quarter and outscored their opponent with 40 points, including 16 from Gilgeous-Alexander compared to 25.
After expanding the gap to 18 points in the final quarter, Oklahoma City appeared to be on its way to an easy victory, but the Celtics refused to give up and got back into the game, closing the gap to two points.
However, the pair of Gilgeous-Alexander and Guidi sealed the win for the home team in the closing seconds after winning back-to-back free throws.
Latvian “giant” Kristaps Porzingis (2.18 meters) stood out among the losers with 34 points, while Jayson Tatum achieved a “double-double” with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists.
The Thunder, who are second in the Western Conference, lost their fifth straight and 23rd of the season against 9 losses, while the Celtics, the Eastern Conference leader and the best record in the league, suffered their seventh loss against 26 wins.
At the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Cameroonian Joel Embiid made a triumphant return after a 4-game absence, posting a “triple-double” (10 or more in 3 statistical categories) with 31 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. , and he led his 76ers. Defeated the Chicago Bulls 110-97.
It was the second “double-double” for star Embiid, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury.
The duo, Za Morant and Desmond Payne, led their Memphis Grizzlies to a 106-98 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, with the former scoring 26 points and the latter adding 24.
Rising talent, Frenchman Victor Wimpanyama stood out for the losers, scoring 20 points, and substitute Kelton Johnson contributed 19.
In New Orleans, the Pelicans dominated the game from start to finish and cruised to a 112-85 victory over their host Brooklyn Nets.
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Orlando Magic 121-115, while the Sacramento Kings fell to the Charlotte Hornets 104-111.
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