Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 124-112 home win over the Miami Heat on Sunday night.
The Thunder have won three consecutive games while the Heat lost their third straight for their fourth setback in five contests.
Gilgeous-Alexander started slow but then got hot, scoring 16 points in a 39-point Oklahoma City third quarter to help gain control.
The Thunder trailed midway through the quarter 74-72 before a 15-0 run put them ahead for good.
Oklahoma City closed the run with a trio of 3-pointers, the first from Gilgeous-Alexander before a pair from Isaiah Joe to close the stretch for an 87-74 advantage.
The Thunder scored 39 points off Miami’s 23 turnovers, including 14 in the fourth to keep the Heat from getting back into the game.
Oklahoma City scored seven points off three Miami turnovers during that decisive third-quarter stretch.
Gilgeous-Alexander came into the night having scored at least 20 points in 109 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in NBA history. But the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player had a rough start, missing his first five shots and picking up two fouls in the first quarter.
But Gilgeous-Alexander started heating up once he returned to the game seven minutes into the second quarter.
After making his final shot of the first quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander hit all four of his shots in the second quarter and then remained hot.
He finished 10 of 19 from the field with eight assists and five rebounds.
Teammate Jalen Willaims scored 18 in the win on 9-of-13 shooting, while Chet Holmgren finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds and Ajay Mitchell scored 16 off the bench.
Andrew Wiggins led the Heat with 23 points while Tyler Herro added 19 and Pelle Larsson 16.
The Heat were without leading scorer Norman Powell (23.8 points per game), who sat out with lower-back soreness on the second night of a back-to-back.
Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams returned after missing 13 consecutive games with heel bursitis, scoring nine in more than 14 minutes.
The Heat led by as many as nine in the first quarter before the Thunder reeled off a 14-2 run. Seven of those points came off Miami turnovers.
–Field Level Media
