Oklahoma City extended the NBA’s longest win streak to 13 games with a home victory on Thursday, while the reigning champions Boston Celtics secured a narrow win against Minnesota at the last moment.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 29 points and eight assists, helping the home team defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 116-98 and raise their record to 28-5, making them the leaders in the Western Conference.
The Thunder’s current win streak is the longest since the franchise moved from Seattle after the 2007-08 season.
“It’s about being present, taking it one day at a time, and focusing on self-improvement, and I believe we’re managing that well,” said Isaiah Hartenstein, who contributed 11 points, nine rebounds, and six assists for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City was down 52-48 at halftime but outperformed the Clippers by a score of 42-20 in the third quarter, with Los Angeles unable to recover.
“We aimed to come out and ramp up the pressure,” Hartenstein remarked. “We executed that successfully.”
In Minneapolis, the Celtics played without Jaylen Brown due to a right shoulder strain and Kristaps Porzingis due to an ankle sprain, yet still managed to defeat the Timberwolves 118-115.
Jayson Tatum shone for Boston with 33 points on 13-of-27 shooting, including 6- of-17 from beyond the arc, eight rebounds and nine assists.
The Celtics (25-9) committed only four turnovers while forcing 16 from the Timberwolves (17-16), who made it close by outperforming Boston 20-4 at the free-throw line.
The Timberwolves started strong, leading 35-28 after the first quarter, tying their best-scoring opening quarter. However, the Celtics surged 62-51 by halftime, only for Minnesota to make a late push.
Donte DiVincenzo converted three free throws with 28 seconds left to narrow the gap to 118-115.
Minnesota regained possession after Tatum missed a shot with 3.1 seconds on the clock, but Anthony Edwards missed a three-pointer as time expired, granting Boston the win.
“We just had to stay committed,” Tatum commented on Boston’s defence. “They were making some tough shots. Sometimes, you have to let something go and focus on what you can take away. Stick to the game plan and compete.”
Derrick White added 26 points for Boston, while Julius Randle topped Minnesota with 27.
