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NBA: Thunder beat Mavericks for 14th straight victory

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Clock Icon3 hoursBasketball

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points in three quarters, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Dallas Mavericks 132-111 on Friday night for their 14th straight win.

Gilgeous-Alexander made 10 of 12 field goals and 11 of 12 free throws to help the Thunder improve to 22-1 overall. He scored at least 20 points for the 95th straight game, the second-longest streak in league history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 126 straight from 1961-1963.

Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams each scored 15 points for the Thunder, who rolled without injured starters Lu Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein. Oklahoma City shot 56% from the field and made 26 of 28 free throws.

Dallas, though also dealing with several injuries, had won three straight. Star rookie Cooper Flagg, who averaged 27 points during the win streak, scored 16 on Friday.

Dallas' Anthony Davis, who averaged 20.6 points per game before Friday night, did not score in the first three quarters. He finally scored on a layup with just over eight minutes remaining. He finished with two points on 1-for-9 shooting, though he had eight rebounds and six assists.

 

Durant reaches milestone in win

Kevin Durant had 28 points to become the eighth player in NBA history to score 31,000 career points as the Houston Rockets rolled to a 117-98 win over the Phoenix Suns.

It was Durant's first game against his former team since a blockbuster seven-team trade that sent Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks to the Suns. Durant missed Houston's 114-92 win at Phoenix on Nov. 24 for personal reasons.

Amen Thompson scored a season-high 31 to help the Rockets to their fifth victory in six games.

Durant made two free throws for his first points of the night and hit a jumper midway through the first quarter that gave the 15-time All-Star the historic milestone. Durant, who didn't play in the fourth quarter, has 31,024 career points.

Houston trailed by as many as nine early but used a 44-point second quarter, powered by 17 points from Durant, to take the lead.

Brooks had 23 points to lead the Suns, who lost for the third time in four games.

 

Jokic rallies Nuggets past Hawks

Nikola Jokic scored 39 points and the Denver Nuggets rallied from 23 points down with a big fourth quarter to win their ninth straight road game, 134-133 over the  Atlanta Hawks.

Jamal Murray had 23 points and 12 assists, and Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 17 for the Nuggets, who trailed 71-48 late in the first half.

The Hawks had a chance for a tying 3-pointer on their final possession, but Murray blocked the attempt by Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The loose ball led to a layup by Alexander-Walker with 2 seconds left, and the Nuggets quickly inbounded the ball and ran out the clock.

Jalen Johnson had 21 points, 18 rebounds and a career-high 16 assists for the Hawks, who have lost three straight. Johnson, who missed Wednesday’s game with a strained calf, became the first Hawks player in the play-by-play era to record a triple-double by halftime. He had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists at the break.

Alexander-Walker finished with 30 points and Kristaps Porzingas had 25.

Jokic shot 2 for 13 in the first half, but ended 13 for 26 and had nine rebounds and eight assists.