OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 104-95 on Tuesday night to avoid their first three-game skid of the season.
Chet Holmgren had 20 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks for NBA-best Oklahoma City (38-10), which had lost back-to-back home games for the first time this season. Isaiah Joe added 17 points.
The Thunder were missing starters Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein and Cason Wallace and key reserve Alex Caruso with injuries.
Gilgeous-Alexander shot 8 of 22 from the field but went 13 of 14 from the foul line. He scored at least 20 points for the 118th consecutive game, the second-longest streak in NBA history.
Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 11 rebounds. Saddiq Bey added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Pelicans, who had won two straight.
Tempers flared in the closing minutes. First, Bey and Jaylin Williams got tangled up and were assessed technical fouls. With 9 seconds left, Jeremiah Fears, who played in college at Oklahoma, and Lu Dort grabbed each other’s jerseys before being separated. Fears then ran after Dort and players from both teams had to be separated.
The Thunder missed their first eight shots while New Orleans started 1 of 9.
Dort's 3-pointer with 10.9 seconds left in the second quarter gave the Thunder a 48-46 lead at halftime.
The Thunder took a 74-64 lead on a 3-pointer by Holmgren with 3:38 left in the third. A 3 by Dort made it 88-73.
The Pelicans went on a 14-2 run capped by Fears' 22-foot bank shot to cut the lead to 92-87. Dort's fourth 3-pointer made it 98-87 with 3:26 remaining.
Pelicans: Host Memphis on Friday night.
Thunder: At Minnesota on Thursday night.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
What the Constitution Means to Me Read moreWhat The Constitution Means To Me
Join us for community fun! Free antique and collectible appraisals by Clars Auction. Over 30… Read moreMillbrae Senior Showcase
Imagine the rock and roll of Jimi Hendrix, the wild abandon of Janis Joplin’s vocals, and th… Read morePacifica Performances presents…Dirty Cello
Mark Simon said:
Gerd -- that's a serious accusation. How do you know the advocates were hired to participate in the gathering?
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.