By TIM WILLERT The Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pounced on another opportunity to thrive against his former team.
Gilgeous-Alexander – part of the blockbuster July 2019 trade that brought perennial All-Star Paul George to the Clippers (and lured free agent Kawhi Leonard to come join him) – scored 31 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Clippers, 129-107, on Thursday night in a matchup of Western Conference contenders.
Lu Dort added 19 points, Jalen Williams had 18 and Chet Holmgren 17 for Oklahoma City. The Thunder won the season series with the Clippers (securing a tiebreaker advantage) and improved to 38-17 to move within a game of Western Conference-leading Minnesota.
“We came out with a great edge,” Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. “Certainly slipped up a couple of times during the game but course-corrected very well and played a pretty complete 48 (minutes).”
Gordon Hayward played 14 minutes in his first game with the Thunder since being acquired in a trade with Charlotte. He missed both of his shots and had four rebounds.
Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points and Norman Powell added 19 points for the third-place Clippers, who fell to 36-18.
“We had a lot of possessions and plays where we got in (the paint) and we didn’t make the right play, so they were able to get blocked shots and turnovers,” Los Angeles coach Tyronn Lue said. “For the most part, I thought we did a good job. I thought we executed the game plan offensively. Defensively, we could have been a lot better.”
Both teams were playing for the first time since the All-Star break. The game featured a return to Oklahoma City for former Thunder players James Harden, Russell Westbrook and George.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s second-leading scorer, had 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting to help the Thunder take a 61-59 lead at halftime. Powell had 14 off the bench to keep the Clippers close.
Oklahoma City took control early in the…
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