Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 137-101 home win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.
The Thunder extended their winning streak to six games while the Pelicans’ losing streak was extended to nine.
During the winning streak, the Thunder have won by an average of nearly 26 points per game.
They ran away with this one early, overcoming a slow offensive start to lead by 13 after one quarter, thanks to a 13-3 run to end the frame.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored eight during the stretch, including a four-point play after hitting a step-back 3-pointer and taking a foul from Jordan Hawkins.
Oklahoma City stretched its lead as big as 29 points in the second quarter and New Orleans was never closer than 22 in the second half.
With the Thunder leading the game comfortably, Gilgeous-Alexander sat out the entire fourth quarter. It was the 13th game this season where Gilgeous-Alexander did not play in the fourth.
Aaron Wiggins added 24 points off the bench for the Thunder, going 9 of 13 from the floor.
Wiggins is averaging 23.2 points per game during the winning streak after averaging 9.3 points per game over his first 46 games of the season.
Oklahoma City hit a franchise-record 27 3-pointers, with four each from Gilgeous-Alexander, Wiggins and Alex Caruso.
The Thunder, who hadn’t hit more than 20 in a game this season, were 27 of 55 (49.1 percent) from beyond the arc.
Oklahoma City scored 40 points off 23 Pelicans’ turnovers.
The Thunder set that tone from early, scoring 12 off New Orleans’ seven first-quarter turnovers.
Chet Holmgren, playing just his second game since returning from an extended absence due to a pelvic fracture, had 12 points, six rebounds and five blocks.
Coming off a season-high 40 points in Saturday’s loss in Sacramento, New Orleans’ Zion Williamson had 17 points and five assists.
Williamson didn’t make a field goal until the final two minutes of the first half
Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 23 points.
–Field Level Media
