Canadian point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Sacramento Kings 121-105 for their 60th victory in the regular season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), BTA reported.
Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double with 18 points and ten rebounds for the Thunder, who won their seventh straight game and reached 60 victories for the fifth time in club history. Alex Caruso finished with 15 points and Isaiah Joe added 14 for Oklahoma City, which holds the first position in the Western Conference after 72 games.
Keegan Murray scored nine three-pointers and 28 points for the Kings, and Zach LaVine added 19 points and seven assists. Sacramento lost its fourth straight regular-season game but remains in ninth place with a playoff spot. The Kings, however, are only half a game ahead of 11th-place Dallas.
The Houston Rockets are second in the West, 13.5 games behind leader Oklahoma City after Jaylen Green had a double-double in a 121-114 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Fred VanFleet added 21 points for the Rockets, who are two games ahead of the Denver Nuggets in the race for the second seed.
Desmond Bain scored 21 points and Jaron Jackson added 19 as Memphis beat Utah 140-103. Scottie Pippen Jr. finished with 16 points and 10 assists for the Grizzlies, who are fourth in the Western Conference but only half a game behind Denver. The Jazz are last and out of the playoffs.
Darius Garland scored 27 points and dished out eight assists, and Ty Jerome had 25 points off the bench as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 122-111. Evan Mobley added 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavs, who are five games ahead of the Boston Celtics at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Donovan Klingan had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds for Portland.
The New York Knicks are third in the Eastern Conference after a 128-113 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns made New York history by becoming the first duo to record a triple-double in a game. Hart finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, while Towns added 26/12/11. The team's top scorer, however, was OJ Anunoby with 35 points.
National Basketball Association (NBA) Championship, regular season matches:
Charlotte - Orlando - 104:111
Detroit - San Antonio - 122:96
Miami - Golden State - 112:86
New York - Dallas - 128:113
Houston - Atlanta - 121:114
Utah - Memphis - 103:140
Sacramento - Oklahoma City - 105:121
Portland - Cleveland - 111:122
Standings in both conferences:
East: Cleveland 58/14, Boston 53/19, New York 45/26, Indiana 42/39, Milwaukee 40/31, Detroit 41/32, Atlanta 35/37, Orlando 35/38, Chicago 32/40, Miami 31/41;
West: Oklahoma City 60/12, Houston 47/26, Denver 45/28, Memphis 44/28, LA Lakers 43/28, Golden State 41