OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points before resting in the fourth quarter, and the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back from a rare loss to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 122-101 on Thursday night.
The Thunder lost to the San Antonio Spurs last Saturday for just their second defeat of the season, ending their team-record, 16-game win streak. They recovered on Thursday after some much-needed rest and improved to 25-2 overall and 13-0
at home.
Gilgeous-Alexander made 13 of 24 shots and had seven rebounds and six assists. It was his 98th consecutive game with at least 20 points, adding to the second-longest streak in NBA history.
Chet Holmgren scored 22 points and Jalen Williams added 20 for Oklahoma City.
James Harden, who leads the Clippers with 26 points per game, sat out with a bruised left calf. Without its star point guard, Los Angeles committed 28 turnovers, leading to 39 Oklahoma City points. Cason Wallace had five of Oklahoma City's 18 steals.
Oklahoma City committed just nine turnovers.
Kawhi Leonard scored 22 points and John Collins added 20 for the Clippers, have lost five straight and 10 of 11.
The Clippers led for most of the first quarter and the early part of the second before the Thunder found their rhythm. Holmgren scored 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting in the first half to help the Thunder take a 64-55 lead at the break.
Oklahoma City took control for good in the third quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 19 points in the period to give the Thunder a 103-83 lead heading into the fourth. Oklahoma City shot 55.6% from the field in the period while outscoring the Clippers 39-28.
Clippers: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
Thunder: Visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
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