Gilgeous-Alexander scores 40 as Thunder eclipse Booker, Suns

LOS ANGELES – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder staged a second-half rally to eclipse Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns on Sunday (Monday, Manila time).

Gilgeous-Alexander shot 12-of-24 from the field while draining 16-of-19 free throws as Oklahoma City overturned a 15-point first-half deficit to complete a 124-120 NBA victory.

The Thunder had trailed by 10 points early in the fourth quarter but outscored Phoenix 34-24 in the final frame — with Gilgeous-Alexander contributing 10 points — to grab victory.

The win boosts Oklahoma City's playoff hopes, with the Thunder improving to 35-36 in the Western Conference for eighth place. Only a handful of games separate a swath of teams jostling for the post-season in the West, where Phoenix remain in fourth place with a 38-33 record.

Phoenix, meanwhile, were sparked by 46 points from Booker but saw only three other players break into double figures after a steely OKC defensive display in the second half.

"It was a total team effort," Gilgeous-Alexander said afterwards. "There was some adversity throughout the game, but we just kept pushing and stuck to our game plan and came up with the 'W'."

Gilgeous-Alexander believes Oklahoma City's young players have emerged stronger after back-to-back losing seasons. Oklahoma City finished the 2021-2022 campaign with a 24-58 record, the third-worst record in the league.

"We're super tight on and off the court," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I think it's because we've been through so many ups and downs... we've been through a losing season. Obviously not the most fun basketball, but to see the tide turn — we're in good shape."

Elsewhere in the NBA on Sunday, Nikola Jokic’s 28th triple-double of the season helped the Denver Nuggets take a 108-102 win on the road against the Brooklyn Nets.

Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic finished with 22 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists as the Western Conference leaders improved to 48-24. The Nuggets have already assured themselves of a post-season berth and are now aiming to lock down top seed in the final three weeks of the regular season.

Michael Porter Jr. led the Denver scorers with 28 points, while Jamal Murray added 25.

In San Antonio, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell both finished with 29 points as the Spurs fought back from 24 point down to stun the visiting Atlanta Hawks 126-118.

The Hawks looked to be romping to a comfortable road win after piling on 83 first-half points to lead by 22 at half time.

But the Spurs — already eliminated from postseason contention — flipped the script after the break, outscoring Atlanta 39-20 in the third before a 26-15 fourth quarter.