The Oklahoma City Thunder ended a series of 6 consecutive victories over its guest, the Boston Celtics, who have the best record in the NBA, by defeating them 127-123 on Tuesday.
At the Baycom Centre, Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander imposed himself as the top scorer among the winner’s ranks, with 36 points, to which he added 6 rebounds and 7 assists, while 5 Thunder players finished the match with 10 points or more.
Australian Josh Guede contributed 23 points, Jaylen Williams contributed 16, and Chet Homgren contributed 14 and 7 assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander praised his rival Celtics, saying: “The players have reached the region finals several times, won a lot of games, and have the best record in the league.”
He continued: “We knew that we had to struggle throughout the match if we wanted to beat them. “No matter how big the lead was, we knew they wouldn’t give up.”
After the Celtics ended the first half with a 61-58 lead, the Thunder rose up in the third quarter and outperformed their opponent by scoring 40 points, including 16 by Gilgeous-Alexander, compared to 25.
It seemed that Oklahoma City was on its way to achieving an easy win, after expanding the gap to 18 points during the final quarter, but the Celtics refused to give up and returned to the atmosphere of the match, reducing the difference to two points.
Thunder broke the Celtics’ winning streak (Reuters)
However, the duo, Gilgeous-Alexander and Guidi, sealed the victory for the home side in the final seconds, after they succeeded in scoring a series of free throws.
The Latvian “giant” Kristaps Porzingis (2.18 meters) stood out among the losers by scoring 34 points, while Jason Tatum achieved a “double-double” with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists.
The Thunder, second in the Western Conference, achieved its fifth consecutive victory and the 23rd this season against 9 defeats, while the Celtics, the leader of the Eastern Conference and the best record in the league, suffered their seventh loss against 26 wins.
At the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Cameroonian Joel Embiid crowned his return after a 4-game absence with success, by achieving a “Triple-Double” (10 or more in 3 statistical categories) with 31 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, and he led his team, the 76ers. To beat the Chicago Bulls 110-97.
It is the second “double-double” for the star Embiid, who was absent from the field due to an ankle injury.
The duo, Ja Morant and Desmond Payne, led their team, the Memphis Grizzlies, to victory over the San Antonio Spurs 106-98, with the former scoring 26 points and the latter adding 24.
The rising talent, Frenchman Victor Wimpanyama, stood out for the loser, scoring 20 points, and substitute Keldon Johnson contributed 19.
In New Orleans, the Pelicans dominated the match from start to finish, emerging victorious against their guest, the Brooklyn Nets, 112-85.
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Orlando Magic 121-115, while the Sacramento Kings lost to the Charlotte Hornets 104-111.
2024-01-03 14:48:00
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