Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 51 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 137-128 home win over the Houston Rockets on Monday.
It was Gilgeous-Alexander’s fourth game with 50 or more points this season and ninth game with 40 or more points — both tops in the NBA. He had never produced a 50-point game in his career before January.
Gilgeous-Alexander shot 18 of 30 from the floor and 5 of 9 on 3-point attempts while adding seven assists and five rebounds.
Oklahoma City has won four consecutive games and 13 of its past 15. The Thunder registered their 50th win of the season before any other team in the conference hit 40 wins. Oklahoma City is the first team to accomplish that feat since the 2004-05 Miami Heat.
Warriors 119, Hornets 101
Buddy Hield racked up 22 points and Stephen Curry scored 21 points in his hometown as Golden State defeated host Charlotte.
Brandin Podziemski added 19 points and 11 rebounds, Draymond Green finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and seven rebounds and Jimmy Butler III had 13 points as seven different Golden State players made at least one 3-point shot. Hield connected five times from beyond the arc.
Charlotte’s losing streak reached seven games despite 35 points from Miles Bridges and 25 points from LaMelo Ball. Mark Williams provided 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Hornets, who committed 17 turnovers. Tidjane Salaun had 10 points off the bench.
Hawks 132, Grizzlies 130
Caris LeVert’s reverse layup at the buzzer lifted visiting Atlanta to a victory over Memphis, spoiling the first career triple-double by Desmond Bane.
Levert scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half. Zaccharie Risacher led the Hawks with 27 points, Onyeka Okongwu added 16 points and 12 rebounds, Daniels contributed 14 points and Trae Young finished with 12 points and 15 assists.
Bane scored a season-high 35 points — including 18 in the third quarter — and added 10 points and 10 assists. Luke Kennard had 17 points and seven assists. The Grizzlies lost their third game in a row and have dropped six of their last eight. Jaren Jackson Jr. injured his left ankle 1:39 into the game and did not return.
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Trail Blazers 119, 76ers 102
Anfernee Simons scored 34 points and Shaedon Sharpe and Donovan Clingan each posted a double-double as Portland continued its strong road trip with a victory over Philadelphia.
Sharpe registered 20 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, while Clingan totaled 13 points, 13 boards and three blocks. The Trail Blazers improved to 4-1 on their seven-game road trip, which continues this week with challenging contests in Boston and Oklahoma City.
Philadelphia, which has lost 10 of its past 11, continued to play without Joel Embiid (knee), who is out for the season. Paul George (groin) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (illness) also sat out, while Tyrese Maxey left with a back contusion after taking a hard fall in the third quarter. Andre Drummond posted a season-high 25 points and 18 rebounds.
Pistons 134, Jazz 106
Cade Cunningham scored 29 points and Detroit cruised to its 10th win in 11 games by beating Utah in Salt Lake City.
Cunningham, who also contributed nine assists and four steals, put up 17 points in the first half as Detroit built a 23-point lead. Jalen Duren contributed 16 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks.
Kyle Filipowski compiled 25 points and eight boards for the Jazz, who concluded their homestand with a 3-6 record. Collin Sexton scored 16 points.
Heat 106, Wizards 90
Bam Adebayo posted 19 points and 15 rebounds and Miami used a fourth-quarter run to pull away from visiting Washington.
Duncan Robinson added 17 points for the Heat, who have won three of their past four games. Pelle Larsson scored half of the Heat’s points during a decisive 12-0 stretch in the fourth quarter.
The Wizards shot a dismal 3 of 23 in the second quarter, finishing 31 of 84 (36.9 percent) for the night. Khris Middleton led Washington with 16 points.
Kings 122, Mavericks 98
Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan combined for 42 points and Sacramento took advantage of a knee injury sustained by Kyrie Irving to run away from host Dallas.
Irving left the game for good with 2:35 remaining in the first quarter after it appeared he hyperextended his left knee on a drive to the basket. LaVine led all scorers in the game with 22 points, making eight of his 12 shots and four of his five 3-point attempts.
Dallas’ top six scorers were all reserves. Kai Jones led the way with 21 points, while Naji Marshall added 18, and Spencer Dinwiddie and Max Christie had 10 apiece. Jones pulled down nine boards, while Marshall and Dinwiddie had six assists each.