The winning streak is the Thunder's longest since early in the 2012-13 season
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives against Donte DiVincenzo of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the third quarter at Paycom Center on December 31, 2024 . — AFP
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to their 12th consecutive victory, a 113-105 decision over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.
The winning streak is the Thunder's longest since early in the 2012-13 season and ties the longest run since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City. The club's all-time mark is a 14-game run by the 1995-96 Seattle SuperSonics.
After a slow start, Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder. Jalen Williams and Luguentz Dort each had 14 points, with Williams adding seven boards and seven assists.
Anthony Edwards scored 13 of his 20 points in the second quarter for the Timberwolves, whose three-game winning streak ended. Naz Reid produced 19 points and eight rebounds, Mike Conley scored 16 points and Julius Randle logged 11 points and six assists.
Jayson Tatum had 23 points and eight rebounds as Boston throttled visiting Toronto for their 10th straight win in the teams' all-time series.
Payton Pritchard scored 19 points off the bench for the Celtics, who have not lost to the Raptors since March 2022. Derrick White (16 points), Jrue Holiday (14), Jaylen Brown (12), Sam Hauser (12) and Jordan Walsh (10) also scored in double figures for Boston, which made 22 of 43 3-point attempts (51.2 percent).
Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 16 points and 13 rebounds but was 1-for-8 from 3-point territory. Toronto committed 21 turnovers and managed the fewest points by a team in a game this season en route to their 11th straight loss.
Jarrett Allen scored a season-high 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as Cleveland led nearly wire to wire and beat host Los Angeles for their eighth win in a row.
Donovan Mitchell added 26 points for the Cavaliers, who were playing the second game of a back-to-back set. A Cavaliers run of 17-2, beginning late in the third quarter and carrying over into the fourth, blew the game open. Mitchell hit half of his six 3-pointers during the decisive spell as the Cleveland advantage swelled to a game-high 16 points.
Los Angeles' Austin Reaves matched his career high with 35 points and added 10 assists and nine rebounds. Anthony Davis added 28 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and two blocks as the Lakers fell after winning five of their previous six games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Milwaukee to a comeback win over Indiana in Indianapolis.
Brook Lopez added 16 points for Milwaukee, which rallied from 19 down in the second half to end a two-game skid. Khris Middleton contributed 15 points.
Bennedict Mathurin led Indiana with 25 points while Pascal Siakam added 20 points and Myles Turner logged 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Pacers have dropped three of their past four games after a five-game winning streak.
Victor Wembanyama scored 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 26 minutes of court time and set the tone with an explosive first quarter as San Antonio cruised past visiting Los Angeles.
The second-year French phenom scored 17 points in the first quarter, matching Los Angeles' total as a team. The Clippers trailed by 25 points late in the first half, by 28 after three quarters and by as many as 41 in the game's waning moments.
James Harden led the Clippers with 17 points, 13 of them coming in the first quarter. Norman Powell added 15 points, and Amir Coffey scored 14 points.
Jaren Jackson Jr. paired 38 points with 12 rebounds and Desmond Bane added 31 points to lead Memphis to a win over host Phoenix.
Luke Kennard supplied 17 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Memphis. The Grizzlies opened up a 14-point halftime advantage and held on after Phoenix closed within a point in the fourth quarter.
Kevin Durant bundled 29 points, 10 rebounds and six assists to lead the Suns, who lost Bradley Beal after the first quarter due to a hip contusion. Beal was hurt when he landed awkwardly after being fouled by Jackson with 4:40 left in the opening frame. He played the rest of the quarter before being ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
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