Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 111-100 home win over the New York Knicks on Sunday night.
The Thunder (59-16) have won 14 of their last 15 and moved 2 1/2 games ahead of San Antonio for the top spot in the Western Conference.
Oklahoma City led by 11 early in the fourth quarter after a 10-3 run.
But the Knicks cut the deficit to 92-91 with a 13-3 run of their own.
After Alex Caruso’s 3-pointer for Oklahoma City with 6:20 remaining, Gilgeous-Alexander scored the Thunder’s next nine points to help them stretch out the lead.
Gilgeous-Alexander has now scored 20 or more points in 135 consecutive games, extending his NBA record.
Oklahoma City guard Jalen Williams scored 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting in more than 28 minutes, his most minutes since Jan. 15 and most points in the four games since returning from a hamstring injury.
Jalen Brunson led New York (48-27) with 32 points.
The Knicks trailed for almost the entire first half and were tied three times before taking their only lead in the third quarter.
New York stayed in the game with their 3-point shooting, going 11 of 24 beyond the arc in the first half while Oklahoma City was just 3 of 12.
Late in the third quarter, Knicks coach Mike Brown was called for a technical foul after arguing that the Thunder’s Cason Wallace should’ve been called for a foul after defending Brunson’s shot.
Wallace was fouled on the other end by Josh Hart.
It was the second technical foul of the season on Brown, with the other coming March 4 in New York’s 103-100 home loss to the Thunder.
In that earlier game, Brown was frustrated by a no-call on what he felt was an offensive foul by Gilgeous-Alexander.
On Sunday, Gilgeous-Alexander was 13 of 16 from the free-throw line, as Oklahoma City attempted 38 free throws to New York’s 17.
Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges had 15 points each for the Knicks and Towns added 18 rebounds.
In the first minute of the second half, Towns’ elbow caught Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren, leading to a flagrant foul call.
The Knicks have dropped back-to-back games after winning seven consecutive.
–Field Level Media
