HINILA ng Oklahoma City ang NBA’s best win streak sa 13 games sa home victory noong Huwebes, habang kumapit ang reigning champion Boston Celtics para sa last-shot win sa Minnesota.
Nagbuhos si Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ng game highs na 29 points at 8 assists upang pangunahan ang Thunder laban sa Los Angeles Clippers, 116-98, sa Oklahoma City, at umangat ang Western Conference leaders sa 28-5.
Ang win streak ng Thunder ang pinakamahaba magmula nang lumipat ang koponan mula sa Seattle matapos ang 2007-08 season.
“It’s just being present, going day by day, working on ourselves and I think we’re doing a good job on that,” sabi ni Isaiah Hartenstein, na nagdagdag ng 11 points, 9 rebounds, at 6 assists para sa Thunder.
Naghabol ang Oklahoma City, 52-48, sa half-time subalit na-outscore ang Clippers, 42-20, sa third quarter at hindi na nakadikit ang Los Angeles.
“We wanted to come out and just pick up the pressure,” ani Hartenstein. “We weren’t playing the way we wanted, with the force we wanted. We wanted to pressure them and I think we did a good job of that.”
Sa Minneapolis, naglaro ang Celtics na wala sina Jaylen Brown dahil sa right shoulder strain at Kristaps Porzingis sanhi ng ankle sprain ngunit nagwagi sa ikatlong pagkakataon sa apat na laro sa pagsisimula ng mabigat na road trip, makaraang dispatsahin ang Timberwolves, 118-115.
Nanguna si Jayson Tatum para sa Boston na may 33 points sa 13-of-27 shooting, 6-of-17 mula sa 3-point range, at nagdagdag ng 8 rebounds at 9 assists.
“No JB. No KP. We’ve had a rough stretch this last eight or nine games,” wika ni Tatum. “So this January we’re going to try to turn it around and get back to our identity.
“What better way than to come in on the road in a tough environment against a really good team down two of your best players and the way that we responded, figured out a way to win, we will take that any day.”
Ang Celtics (25-9) ay gumawa lamang ng 4 turnovers habang naipuwersa ang 16 ng Timberwolves (17-16), na ginawa itong dikit nang ma-outscore ang Boston, 20-4, sa free throw line.
Abante ang T-Wolves sa 35-28 makalipas ang 12 minuto, napantayan ang kanilang top-scoring first quarter sa season, subalit lumamang ang Celtics, 62-51, sa half-time.
Nagdagdag si Derrick White ng 26 points para sa Boston.
Nanguna si Julius Randle para sa Minnesota na may 27 points, 8 rebounds at 7 assists.
Sinimulan ng Celtics ang four-game road swing laban sa top clubs at susunod ang stops sa Houston, Oklahoma City at Denver.
“I love the way we competed. Our physicality was on point. That’s what it’s going to take,” sabi ni Tatum.
“We play four really good, difficult teams on the road. We’re going to need everybody in these games.”
Samantala, umiskor si Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton ng 33 points at nagdagdag ng 15 rebounds upang pamunuan ang Pacers kontra host Miami, 128-115.
Nagdagdag si Myles Turner ng 21 points at nakalikom si Pascal Siakam ng 18 points at 11 rebounds para sa Indiana.
Kumamada si Brooklyn’s Cameron Johnson ng 26 points at nag-ambag si Cam Thomas ng 24 mula sa bench nang lambatin ng Nets ang Milwaukee, 113-110.
Nagsalansan si Giannis Antetokounmpo ng 27 points, 13 rebounds at 7 assists para sa Bucks habang nagdagdag si Damian Lillard ng 23 points subalit sablay ang Milwaukee stars sa kanilang mga tira upang masira ang late rally.