Gilgeous-Alexander drops 40 as Thunder reach playoffs
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a standout 40-point performance to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 113–108 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, sealing their place as the first team to qualify for the NBA playoffs.
Chet Holmgren contributed a strong double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Ajay Mitchell added 16 points as the reigning champions pulled away in the fourth quarter to secure the win, News.Az reports, citing AFP.
The victory marked Oklahoma City’s ninth consecutive win, improving their record to 54–15 and keeping them firmly atop the Western Conference, ahead of the second-placed San Antonio Spurs.
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Orlando, now 38–30, remain sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 32 points, along with 10 rebounds and five assists.
After the game, reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander praised his team’s resilience following an inconsistent first half.
“We got off to a good start but then the car kind of came off the road for a little bit,” he said. “That’s what great teams do — they find a way to get back on track and win, even when things are tough.”
Gilgeous-Alexander also extended his remarkable streak of scoring at least 20 points to 129 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, San Antonio kept pace in the Western Conference with a dominant 132–104 win over the Sacramento Kings, with Victor Wembanyama and Keldon Johnson scoring 18 points each in a balanced team effort.
In Minneapolis, Julius Randle scored 32 points to guide the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 116–104 win over the Phoenix Suns.
In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons strengthened their hold on the top spot with a 130–117 victory against the Washington Wizards, improving to 49–19 behind Jalen Duren’s 36 points. However, the win was marred by an early injury to MVP contender Cade Cunningham, who exited in the first quarter with a back issue.
The New York Knicks stayed third in the East after a commanding 136–110 win over the struggling Indiana Pacers. Josh Hart led the scoring with 33 points, including a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the arc, while OG Anunoby added 26 and Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in with 22.
By Nijat Babayev
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