The Oklahoma City Thunder, Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons all recorded convincing wins on Thursday night, each doing so with a different headline performance.
Thunder 139, Lakers 96
Where: Oklahoma City, OK
Key moment: The Thunder opened the game on a defensive surge, holding Los Angeles without a field goal for nearly five minutes and racing to a 44-21 first-quarter lead.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 28 points, while Isaiah Joe came off the bench for 20 points and six three-pointers. Oklahoma City shot 53.9% from the field and has now won 16 of its last 17 games.
Luka Dončić, who entered riding a scoring streak, was limited to 12 points on 3-for-10 shooting before exiting with a hamstring injury. The Thunder led 82-51 at halftime, just shy of the franchise record for points in a half, and never looked back.
Hornets 127, Suns 107
Where: Charlotte, NC
Key moment: Rookie guard Kon Knueppel hit four triples as part of a decisive second-half push.
Miles Bridges scored a team-high 25 points and Knueppel added 20, giving him 261 three-pointers on the season— a new Hornets single-season mark. Coby White finished with 19 points, LaMelo Ball recorded 15 points and 11 assists, and Brandon Miller contributed 17.
Charlotte has won seven of its last nine contests and continues to climb the Eastern Conference play-in standings.
Pistons 113, Timberwolves 108
Where: Detroit, MI
Key moment: An 11-0 run midway through the fourth quarter turned a one-possession game in the Pistons’ favor.
With Cade Cunningham and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards both sidelined, Jalen Duren delivered 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Daniss Jenkins scored 26. Detroit improved to 7-2 when Cunningham is out of the lineup.
Ausar Thompson flirted with a triple-double, posting nine assists, nine rebounds and seven points. Duncan Robinson added 15 points and Kevin Huerter had 12. Tensions rose late when Bones Hyland and Marcus Sasser exchanged words and technical fouls, but the Pistons held on for the win.
The three victories further shuffled the standings as teams head toward the final stretch of the regular season.
Source: Hoops Wire
