OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the New York Knicks 111-100 on Sunday night.
Gilgeous-Alexander was 5 of 15 from the floor in the first three quarters, but drained all three of his shots in the fourth. He made 13 of 16 free throws overall to help him extend his NBA record for consecutive games with at least 20 points to 135.
Jalen Williams scored 22 points for the Thunder, shooting 7 of 11 from the floor and making all seven of his free throws. An All-Star last year, he appears to be rounding into form. He missed the first 19 games of the season with a wrist injury, then later missed 26 with a strained right hamstring.
Chet Holmgren added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder, who won for the 14th time in 15 games. Oklahoma City (59-16) leads San Antonio (56-18) by 2 1/2 games in the race for the league’s best record with eight remaining.
The Knicks are in third place in the Eastern Conference standings, 2 1/2 games behind the Boston Celtics for second with eight games to play. But the Thunder outscored them 31-13 from the free-throw line.
Jalen Brunson scored 32 points for the Knicks on 13-for-22 shooting. Karl-Anthony Towns added 15 points and 18 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost their second straight after a seven-game winning streak.
Josh Hart’s deep 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer cut Oklahoma City’s lead to 53-52.
A steal and layup by Williams gave the Thunder a 59-54 lead in the third quarter and excited the crowd. Oklahoma City took an 84-78 lead into the fourth. New York cut its deficit to a point in the final period, but never took the lead.
Up next
Knicks: Visit the Houston Rockets on Tuesday.
Thunder: Host the Detroit Pistons on Monday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA