Oklahoma City Thunder held off Boston Celtics 104-102 at Paycom Center Thursday, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 35 points. He also added nine assists and six rebounds, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain’s record for consecutive 20-point games at 127.
The game remained tight throughout, with Gilgeous-Alexander hitting a pull-up jumper to break a 98-all tie in the final minute. Jaylen Brown scored 34 points for Boston, keeping the Celtics within reach despite missing Jayson Tatum.
With 29.6 seconds left and the Thunder up 102-100, Chet Holmgren was fouled on a rebound and made both free throws to secure the win. Boston’s Payton Pritchard missed a deep 3-pointer as time expired, ending the Celtics’ comeback bid.
Gilgeous-Alexander reached 21 points with a midrange jumper in the third quarter, tying the game at 69-all and maintaining his scoring streak. Oklahoma City shot 48 percent from the field and made 76 percent of free throws, while Boston converted 40 percent of their shots and 95 percent from the line.
Oklahoma City improved to 52-15 with their seventh straight win, all since Gilgeous-Alexander returned from an abdominal strain that sidelined him for the All-Star Game. The Celtics fell to 43-23, holding second place in the Eastern Conference.
The Thunder will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, while Boston travels to Denver to face the Nuggets on Saturday.
