Spurs Edge Lakers As Doncic Delivers Big Night In NBA Victory

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 46 points lifted the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Utah Jazz, while the Denver Nuggets fought back to edge the Boston Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs handled the Los Angeles Lakers. Across three tight contests, stars such as Victor Wembanyama, Jamal Murray and Luka Doncic delivered major numbers in games that shaped the NBA Western Conference picture.

The Thunder ended a brief slump with an overtime success, Denver steadied after a difficult stretch, and San Antonio climbed to second in the West despite a poor outside shooting night. Injuries influenced both the Lakers and Celtics, with LeBron James and Jayson Tatum sidelined, while Nikola Jokic also remained out for Denver with a hyperextended left knee.

Gilgeous-Alexander

poured in 46 points as Oklahoma City beat Utah 129-125 in overtime, halting a two-game slide. The reigning MVP extended the run of games with at least 20 points to 109, the second-longest streak in NBA history, and calmly hit a jumper from near the free-throw line at the regulation buzzer to force the extra period.

Gilgeous-Alexander then added nine points in overtime for the defending champion Thunder, who had dropped six of their previous 12 after opening the season 24-1. Chet Holmgren posted 23 points and 12 rebounds, Jalen Williams scored 17 and Ajay Mitchell contributed 16, as Oklahoma City avoided a third straight regular-season defeat for the first time since April 2024.

Goodnight you pic.twitter.com/HM7GQmfWFL OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 8, 2026

Utah stayed close throughout but fell to a fifth consecutive defeat. Lauri Markkanen finished with 29 points and 13 rebounds, while Keyonte George added 25 points and 11 assists. Jusuf Nurkic delivered 15 points and 15 rebounds, yet the Jazz could not close it out, coming off a 124-97 loss to struggling Charlotte on Tuesday.

In Denver, the Nuggets recovered from a late deficit to defeat Boston 114-110, using a decisive 14-0 burst in the fourth quarter. Peyton Watson led Denver with 30 points, while Jamal Murray produced 22 points and 17 assists in a matchup that featured 26 lead changes and nine ties before the Nuggets finally created separation.

The teams were without their headline names, with Denver’s three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Boston All-Star Jayson Tatum both missing out. Boston held a three-point advantage in the final period before Denver’s surge built a 101-90 cushion. The Celtics later trailed 107-95, then trimmed the gap to three in the closing seconds but ran out of time.

Heading home on a high note pic.twitter.com/86N7ifAUFt Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 8, 2026

Jaylen Brown paced Boston with 33 points, and Neemias Queta collected a career-high 20 rebounds for a side that had entered on a five-game winning run. Denver, which had lost six of its previous 10 after a 20-6 start and had slipped behind Oklahoma City in the Western Conference race, improved to 3-2 since Jokic’s knee injury.

Murray and Christian Braun both returned to the starting five after missing Monday’s overtime defeat to Philadelphia, which was the second contest of a back-to-back set. Their presence steadied Denver’s offence and helped the Nuggets close out a close finish against one of the Eastern Conference’s strongest teams despite missing Jokic.

Spurs strong display in NBA win over Lakers

San Antonio’s 107-91 victory over the Lakers featured a standout 27-point effort from Keldon Johnson and a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double from Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs climbed into second place in the Western Conference even though they shot just 4-for-25 from three-point range against a short-handed Los Angeles lineup.

Luka Doncic compiled 38 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in defeat, but the Lakers’ three-game winning streak ended without LeBron James, who missed out because of arthritis and sciatica. Calf strains kept Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura off the floor as well, leaving Jake LaRavia with 16 points and Jaxson Hayes with 10 as the only other Lakers in double figures.

KJ with the honors tonight! pic.twitter.com/aTrcahYtib San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 8, 2026

Wembanyama was listed as questionable after returning on Tuesday from a two-game absence caused by a hyperextended left knee. The Spurs rookie had produced 30 points in 20 minutes during a 106-105 loss at Memphis, and followed that performance with a 15th double-double this season as San Antonio used an important third-quarter surge to take control.

Midway through the third period, San Antonio assembled an 11-4 run that opened a 71-59 advantage. Johnson and Stephon Castle combined for nine points during that stretch, giving the Spurs enough breathing space to handle Doncic’s triple-double and close out another key result in a competitive Western Conference race.

Game	Final score	Leading performers
Thunder vs Jazz	Oklahoma City 129-125 (OT)	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 46 pts; Lauri Markkanen 29 pts, 13 reb
Nuggets vs Celtics	Denver 114-110	Peyton Watson 30 pts; Jaylen Brown 33 pts; Neemias Queta 20 reb
Spurs vs Lakers	San Antonio 107-91	Keldon Johnson 27 pts; Luka Doncic 38 pts, 10 reb, 10 ast

The three results kept defending champion Oklahoma City ahead in the West, allowed Denver to regain momentum and pushed San Antonio into second place despite injury concerns around Wembanyama. For the Lakers, Jazz and Celtics, the night underlined how absences and late-game execution continued to shape early-season NBA form.