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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider SGA impresses as Thunder hand depleted Hawks their 7th straight defeat

SGA impresses as Thunder hand depleted Hawks their 7th straight defeat

Published Dec 30, 2025 02:37 pm

At A Glance

  • OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder used a big third quarter to beat the skidding Atlanta Hawks, 140-129, on Monday night, Dec. 29.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots over Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots over Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder used a big third quarter to beat the skidding Atlanta Hawks, 140-129, on Monday night, Dec. 29.
Chet Holmgren had 24 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, and Jalen Williams added 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the NBA-leading Thunder (28-5).
Gilgeous-Alexander scored the Thunder's first eight points. He made 15 of 24 field goals and all seven of his foul shots. He scored at least 20 points for the 104th consecutive game.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 30 points and Onyeka Okongwu had 26 points and 14 rebounds for Atlanta (15-19), which has lost seven straight. The short-handed Hawks played without starters Trae Young (quad), Jalen Johnson (illness) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness).
The teams combined to shoot 86 3-pointers. The Hawks were 25 of 54 (46.3%), while the Thunder made 12 of 32 (37.5%). Oklahoma City scored 70 points in the paint compared to 36 for Atlanta.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 of the Thunder's 35 first-quarter points. His three-point play with 3.4 seconds remaining pulled Oklahoma City even. But first cousin Alexander-Walker swished a 45-footer as time expired to put the Hawks in front 38-35.
Atlanta extended the advantage to 54-44 on a 3-pointer by Luke Kennard, but the Thunder pulled to 69-68 on a basket by Holmgren. Another buzzer-beater, this one an 8-footer by Dyson Daniels, gave Atlanta a 74-70 lead at halftime.
Oklahoma City took control early in the third quarter, outscoring Atlanta 30-11 for a 100-85 lead with 5:43 left. Gilgeous-Alexander (nine points) and Lu Dort (six points) sparked the run.
Atlanta got as close as 106-103 on a three-point play by Kennard. But the Thunder scored the next seven points to take a 113-103 lead into the fourth.
The Hawks kept it close after that. A 3-pointer by Zacchariw Risacher cut the Oklahoma City lead to 129-125 with 4:36 left.
Meanwhile, Norman Powell scored 25 points and the Miami Heat pulled away in the second half to beat Denver, 147-123, in a game where the Nuggets saw superstar Nikola Jokic limp off the court with a knee injury.
The teams were tied at 63 at halftime, with Jokic getting hurt with about three seconds left before the intermission. Miami then scored 47 third-quarter points to take full control.
Nikola Jovic scored 22 points, Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 20 and Bam Adebayo returned from a two-game absence to grab 10 rebounds for the Heat, who had gone 1-15 in their last 16 games against Denver — the one win coming in five-game defeat to the Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals.
Denver had also won the last 11 regular-season matchups between the clubs and hadn't lost a game in Miami since 2018.
But everything changed after halftime, with Jokic remaining in the locker room areas for evaluation.
Jokic still led the Nuggets in scoring with 21 points, along with eight assists and five rebounds. Jamal Murray scored 20 for Denver and Spencer Jones — who stepped on Jokic's left foot on the play where the three-time MVP was injured — scored 16 for the Nuggets, as did Tim Hardaway Jr.
Jokic was alone under the basket and appeared to step forward to help Denver’s Spencer Jones defend a drive by Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. as time was about to expire in the second quarter. While backtracking, Jones stepped on Jokic’s left foot and it seemed the center’s knee buckled.
Jokic collapsed to the court, grabbing at the knee and writhing in pain.
The Heat topped the 140-point mark for the eighth time in the 2025 calendar year. Miami had seven such games from its inception in 1988 through 2024, combined.
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