Thunder grind past Warriors for a fifth straight win, 104-97 behind Gilgeous-Alexander

Oklahoma City is 5-0 since Gilgeous-Alexander returned from an abdominal strain. The defending champion Thunder have the league’s best record and became the first team in the league to win 50 games this season.

Isaiah Joe added 18 points and Jaylin Williams had nine points and 14 rebounds for Oklahoma City.

Gui Santos had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Brandin Podziemski scored 17 points and Draymond Green added 16 for the Warriors, who were held to 40.9% shooting.

MAGIC 119, TIMBERWOLVES 92

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Desmond Bane scored 30 points, Paolo Banchero added 25 points and 15 rebounds, and Orlando won its third straight game by beating Minnesota.

Jalen Suggs added 14 points and Tristan da Silva had 11 points for the Magic, who moved atop the Southeast Division.

Anthony Edwards scored 34 points, including 13 of 14 from the free-throw line, but Minnesota had it’s five-game winning streak snapped.

Julius Randle scored 14 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds for the Timberwolves, Naz Reid added 13 points off the bench, and Rudy Gobert added 12 points.

Minnesota shot just 35.7% in scoring its second-fewest points of the season. Starters Donte DiVincenzo and Jaden McDaniels were a combined 0 for 15.

NETS 107, PISTONS 105

DETROIT (AP) — Ziaire Williams made two 3-pointers in the final three minutes and Brooklyn ended a 10-game losing streak by rallying to beat Detroit.

Brooklyn trailed by 23 points in the third quarter and were still down by double figures with 5:29 left, but outscored Detroit 18-6 down the stretch.

Michael Porter Jr. had 30 points and 13 rebounds for the Nets, while Williams finished with 23 points.

Tobias Harris had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Detroit and Jalen Duren had 17 points and 14 rebounds. The Pistons, who have lost three straight for the first time this season, were missing Cade Cunningham (quadriceps) and Ausar Thompson (ankle).

HAWKS 125, 76ERS 116

ATLANTA (AP) — Jalen Johnson had 35 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 24 points as Atlanta beat Philadelphia for its season-best sixth straight victory.

Atlanta, which had two five-game runs during the season, has won seven of its last eight games and moved two games over .500 at 33-31.

CJ McCollum scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half and added seven assists, Dyson Daniels finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Onyeka Okongwu had 10 points as the Hawks overcame a seven-point halftime deficit.

Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 31 points before injuring his right hand in a collision with teammate Adem Bona with 16 seconds remaining in the game. Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse had no update on the extent of Maxey’s injury after the game and said the All-Star guard would have X-rays on his hand.

Quentin Grimes scored 26 points, Kelly Oubre Jr. added 24 and Trendon Watford 10 as Philly had its four-game winning streak halted. Jabari Walker, who was coming off consecutive 20-point games for the first time in his four-year NBA career, finished with nine points.

BUCKS 113, JAZZ 99

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists as Milwaukee snapped a four-game skid by beating Utah.

Antetokounmpo did all that while playing just 27 minutes as the Bucks continue to monitor the two-time MVP’s workload in his return from injury. Milwaukee was playing for the third time since Antetokounmpo came back from a right calf strain that caused him to miss 15 straight games.

Utah has lost eight of its last nine games. The Jazz had ended a seven-game skid Thursday by winning 122-112 at Washington.

The Jazz were missing leading scorer Lauri Markkanen because of impingement in his right hip and Isaiah Collier due to personal reasons. Multiple other Utah players already have been ruled out for the season.

Milwaukee’s Kevin Porter Jr. missed a second straight game with swelling in his right knee. Before the game, Bucks coach Doc Rivers had no update on when Porter might return to the lineup.

CLIPPERS 123, GRIZZLIES 120

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard had 28 points, Darius Garland scored 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and Los Angeles held on for a victory over Memphis.

Bennedict Mathurin finished 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Derrick Jones Jr. added 16 points as the Clippers won for the fourth time in five games despite hitting only four 3-pointers, a season low. Los Angeles was 4 for 17 from distance.

Ty Jerome led Memphis with 23 points and seven assists. Taylor Hendricks scored 18 and Cedric Coward 15 as Memphis lost its third straight.

The game was close throughout, and the Grizzlies held a 118-117 lead with about two minutes left. Leonard and Jordan Miller each made a pair of free throws to give Los Angeles a 121-118 edge. Mathurin’s two free throws with 4.4 second left sealed the win as Jerome’s closing 3-point try for Memphis was off the mark.

The Clippers, who were 15 games under .500 earlier this season, now sit at 31-32. The are in ninth place in the Western Conference, and in the running for a postseason bid.