WASHINGTON and LOS ANGELES
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Friday scored 33 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to their 14th consecutive NBA victory, a 117-107 home win over the New York Knicks.
The Thunder matched the longest win streak in franchise history from the 1995-1996 season, when they were the Seattle SuperSonics, and snapped New York’s nine-game win streak, the Knicks’ longest since 2013.
Photo: Alonzo Adams / Imagn Images
It was only the fourth time in the NBA’s 79-year history that teams on win streaks of nine or more games faced each other.
Gilgeous-Alexander hit 12-of-26 from the floor and seven-of-seven from the free throw line, while Jalen Williams added 20 points and Aaron Wiggins had 19 off the bench as Thunder reserves outscored the Knicks bench 35-5.
“They made big plays all night,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of his bench. “We’re a roster of 15 men, 15 professionals, 15 really skilled basketball players. Guys were ready for their moment.”
Photo: Isaiah J. Downing / Imagn Images
Frenchman Victor Wembanyama was a winner in his 100th NBA game, making two key plays in the last seconds of the San Antonio Spurs 113-110 triumph against the Denver Nuggets.
On the eve of his 21st birthday, the 2.21m star assisted on Chris Paul’s go-ahead jumper with 54 seconds remaining and stole a Nikola Jokic pass with four seconds to play to set up Devin Vassell’s dunk for the final points.
NBA-best Cleveland improved to 30-4 with a 134-122 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, the Cavaliers stretching their win streak to nine games powered by Evan Mobley’s 34 points and 10 rebounds.
LeBron James broke Michael Jordan’s NBA record for 30-point games during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 119-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
With a turnaround jumper with 5 minutes, 58 seconds to play for the last of his 30 points, James reached at least 30 points in the regular season for the 563rd time in his career, surpassing the mark established by Jordan in 2003.
Jordan set his record in 1,072 games over 15 seasons, while James surpassed it in his 1,523rd appearance over 22 seasons.
“It’s very humbling,” James said. “Anytime I’m mentioned with any of the greats, and arguably the greatest ever to play the game, super-cool. It’s someone I idolized in my childhood, and I wear 23 because of him. So to know that I can sit here and be in the room or in the conversation or whatever it is, you mention MJ, it’s like super-duper dope for me, being a kid where I’m from.”
James turned 40 last week. He is among the few remaining active players who personally witnessed Jordan in his 1990s prime with the Chicago Bulls.
Elsewhere on Friday, it was:
‧ Kings 138, Grizzlies 133
‧ Pelicans 132, Wizards 120
‧ Pistons 98, Hornets 94
‧ Raptors 97, Magic 106
‧ Rockets 86, Celtics 109
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
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