Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Thursday scored just 17 points to snap an NBA-record streak, but the Oklahoma City Thunder knocked off the Denver Nuggets 96-84 at home.
Gilgeous-Alexander had scored 20 or more points in an NBA-record 141 consecutive games. He had not been held below 20 points in the regular season since Oct. 30, 2024.
Gilgeous-Alexander had a chance to extend the streak, but with less than two minutes remaining and Oklahoma City up by 17, Nuggets coach David Adelman emptied his bench following a timeout.
Photo: Alonzo Adams / Imagn Images via Reuters
The reigning two-time NBA Most Valuable Player did not wait for direction from Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, taking his place on the bench to officially end the streak.
Up ti that point, Gilgeous-Alexander had been making a strong push toward keeping the streak alive with 10 fourth-quarter points.
Oklahoma City had not led since going up 3-0 in the opening seconds until Ajay Mitchell’s transition layup with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
In the closing seconds of the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander raced up the court after a rebound from Jaylin Williams and drained a three-pointer in transition to put the Thunder up by six.
Gilgeous-Alexander was initially called for a foul on Nikola Jokic’s three-point heave as time expired in the quarter, which would have given Jokic three free throws, but the play was challenged and the foul call was overturned.
Gilgeous-Alexander missed all seven shots he attempted in the first half and did not get on the board at all until sinking a pair of free throws with less than two minutes remaining.
He quickly broke that stretch without a field goal in the third quarter, but it was not until that three-pointer late in the period that he found an offensive rhythm.
It did not matter, though, as the Thunder forced 13 second-half turnovers and turned them into 19 points.
Jalen Williams led Oklahoma City with 21 points, while Chet Holmgren had 12 points and 17 rebounds.
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the 76ers erased a 29-point deficit to stun the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 in LeBron James’s first home game since landing in Philly as a free agent.
Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points and Joel Embiid added 24 — including a jump shot with 6 minutes, 54 seconds left to play that gave the Sixers their first lead of the night — one they did not relinquish on the way to an epic comeback.
Former Celtics star Jaylen Brown, the Sixers’ other big off-season acquisition, scored 21 points and pulled down eight rebounds, while four-time NBA champion James added 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to help the 76ers author their biggest comeback of the play-by-play era that started in 1996.
It was also the biggest comeback of James’ career. The league’s all-time leading scorer called it a good win — but not a position he wants to be in often.
“You don’t want to rely on that,” he said. “I think it’s great to know [that] deep down we’re not going to have that quit mentality. You never want to look around and say guys gave up, but you don’t want to put yourself in too many of those situations.”
Cleveland, disappointed not to land hometown hero James after he announced he was leaving the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons, appeared to be on a mission to show him what he missed.
Donovan Mitchell scored 22 of his 32 points in the first half as the Cavs seized control against a 76ers team struggling to find a rhythm and protect the ball.
Philadelphia center Joel Embiid looked creaky, and James had five of the Sixers’ 15 first-half turnovers — which led to 22 Cavs points and provoked boos from Philly fans whose hopes of a title run have been raised by the arrivals of James and Brown.
The boos turned to raucous cheers as the re-energized 76ers opened the third quarter on an 11-0 run. They cut the lead to single digits on back-to-back baskets from Maxey that pulled them within 80-73.
The Cavs were struggling to regroup. Maxey reduced the deficit to two points with a running finger roll layup with 2 minutes, 33 seconds left in the third before Cleveland reeled off six straight points to take a 90-82 lead into the fourth quarter.
However, the 76ers kept coming. They outscored the Cavaliers 60-37 in the second half, clamping down defensively and giving up just two turnovers.
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