OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points after a slow start and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Miami Heat 124-112 on Sunday night.
Jalen Williams had 19 points for Oklahoma City,
and Chet Holmgren and Ajay Mitchell each added 16. The Thunder have won three straight.
Andrew Wiggins scored 23 points — including seven 3-pointers - to lead Miami, which has lost three straight. Tyler Herro had 19 points and Pelle Larsson added 16.
Gilgeous-Alexander missed his first five shots of the game, but then went 10 for 14 from the field the rest of the way to top the 20-point mark for the 110th consecutive game.
With about four minutes remaining in the third, Gilgeous-Alexander — who had 16 points in the quarter — made a 3-pointer and pumped his fist while he walked back toward the other end as Miami called a timeout. It was part of a 15-0 run that gave the Thunder a 13-point lead.
Both teams came in among the top four in the NBA in defensive rating, and while Oklahoma City and Miami both shot better than 50%, the defenses left their mark.
The Thunder scored 39 points off 23 Heat turnovers.
Miami forced five Oklahoma City turnovers in the opening quarter but the Thunder had just eight turnovers the rest of the way.
Miami led by as many as nine in the first quarter, but the Thunder used a 14-2 run late in the quarter to regain the lead before the Heat scored five consecutive points in the final 4 seconds of the quarter, ending the period on Wiggins’ steal and corner 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Norman Powell missed the game for the Heat with lower back soreness.
Jaylin Williams, who hadn’t played since Dec. 13 with heel bursitis, scired nine points in his return for Oklahoma City.
Heat: Host Phoenix on Tuesday night.
Thunder: Host San Antonio on Tuesday night.
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AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/nba
