Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points and grabbed 8 rebounds to lead the Thunder to a 113–99 win over the Kings
Oklahoma City forced nine turnovers in the third quarter, turning defense into offense and building separation
With this win, the Thunder stretched their NBA-best record to 15–1, marking their seventh straight victory
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder won their seventh straight game to improve to 15-1, beating the Sacramento Kings 113-99 on Wednesday night.
Chet Holmgren had 21 points and Lu Dort scored all 14 of his points in the second half, including 11 in the fourth quarter for the defending champion Thunder. They have won all three matchups with the Kings.
Dennis Schroder scored 21 points and DeMar DeRozan added 17 for the Kings, who lost their seventh straight. Kings big man Domantas Sabonis sat out because of soreness in his left knee.
The Thunder started the season with a pair of double-overtime wins and had some close calls before finally losing to Portland. Since the loss, they have won every game – with an average margin of 20.3 points. All have been by double digits. Included in the run is a 24-point victory over Golden State and a 29-point win over the Los Angeles Lakers on back-to-back nights last week at home.
Sengun, Durant keep Rockets hot
Alperen Sengun had 28 points and 11 rebounds, Kevin Durant scored 20 points, and the Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to five with a 114-104 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Aaron Holiday scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter for Houston, which is 10-1 since starting the season with two losses. Jabari Smith Jr. scored 14 and Amen Thompson had 12 points, nine boards and five steals.
De'Andre Hunter scored 25 points to pace the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell added 21 points, 19 in the final period when they got as close as 77-76 before the Rockets answered with back-to-back hoops by Sengun and Thompson.
Evan Mobley had 18 points, but missed six of his 10 free throw attempts for Cleveland, which fell to 2-2 on a six-game homestand, its longest of the season. Jarrett Allen added eight points and seven rebounds.
Vucevic’s buzzer-beating 3 rescues Bulls
Nikola Vucevic hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer and the Chicago Bulls held off a furious comeback attempt by the Portland Trail Blazers for a 122-121 victory.
Vucevic finished with 27 points and Coby White had 25 off the bench for the Bulls, who led by 21 points in the fourth quarter.
Deni Avdija's 3-pointer tied it for the Blazers at 116 and Donovan Clingan's layup put the Blazers in front with 47 seconds left. Clingan added a free throw to cap a 31-7 run and give Portland a 119-116 lead.
White's 3-pointer with 9.1 seconds left pulled the Bulls within 120-119. After Jerami Grant hit the second of two free throws, White popped the ball out to Vucevic on the perimeter for the game-winner.
Grant finished with 33 points for the slumping Blazers, who have lost four straight and six of the last seven.
