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Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (R) of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots in the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York City, March 31, 2024. /CFP
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the New York Knicks 113-112 at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday, locking a post-season berth with a 52-22 record.
The two teams had a close contest which was suspenseful until the final second of the game. The Thunder trailed by one point (112-111) when there were 4.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Coach Mark Daigneault called a timeout to draw a play for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), who struggled to make shots and missed nine of his 16 field goals (FGs) before the moment.
SGA was guarded by Miles McBride, who has impressed the league recently with his defense of perimeter players. Jalen Williams, who shot 14-for-18 from the field to score game-high 33 points, tried to create space for SGA to work with a screen, but it didn't even slow McBride down, who followed SGA to the left baseline.
Jalen Brunson (#11) of the New York Knicks shoots in the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Madison Square Garden in New York City, March 31, 2024. /CFP
McBride maintained good defensive footwork, allowing him to deflect SGA's jump shooting without the risk of fouling. SGA received the in-bound throw-in, span and shot a jumper with his upper body tilting in the air, and managed to sink the ball into the net, giving the Thunder a one-point lead with 1.8 seconds to go.
The Knicks set up a similar play for Jalen Brunson, who got 30 points in Sunday's game. SGA was the one switching to guard him. His 1.98-meter-height plus 2.11-meter-long wingspan definitely gave him the ability to make a good deflection of Brunson's fadeaway jumper, leaving the Knicks chew on their second straight loss.
Nikola Jokic (R) of the Denver Nuggets posts up in the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, March 31, 2024. /CFP
Other games on Sunday (away teams come first):
Cleveland Cavaliers 101-130 Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets secured early post-season qualification on the same day as the Thunder with a big win over the Cavaliers at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. The Cavaliers' top defensive pair of big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley failed to stop Nikola Jokic from making a triple-double of 26 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists.
To make Jokic's dominance clearer, he was only the second player in NBA history to get at least 26+18+16 in one game after Oscar Robertson in 1965. It was also the fourth time for the Serbian giant to score at least 25 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists at 60 percent or higher of FG rate, more than anyone else.
Paul George (#13) of the Los Angeles Clippers shoots in the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, March 31, 2024. /CFP
Los Angeles Clippers 130-118 Charlotte Hornets
Paul George knocked down eight triples out of 12 attempts to score a season-high 41 points for the Clippers at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday, to claim their third consecutive win. Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac also got over 20 points thanks to the remarkable orchestrating work by James Harden. He only shot three FGs, but delivered 10 assists. He (7,585) has surpassed Rajon Rondo (7,584) to rank in the 14th place on the NBA all-time assists leaders table.
Luka Doncic (R) of the Dallas Mavericks shoots in the game against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, March 31, 2024. /CFP
Dallas Mavericks 125-107 Houston Rockets
The Rockets' 11-game winning streak ended at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, on Sunday because there was nothing they could do to stop Luka Doncic from dominating the floor. He went 18-for-28 in FGs, including draining a career-high nine 3-pointers, to get 47 points in the first three quarters. He also had 12 rebounds and seven assists for the whole game.
This was the 40th time Doncic has scored at least 40 points, five rebounds and five assists in one game, the sixth-most in league history and the same as Russell Westbrook did. He still has LeBron James (59), Wilt Chamberlain (61), Michael Jordan (62), Harden (68) and Robertson (71) to surpass when he is in only his sixth NBA season at 25.
Stephen Curry (#30) of the Golden State Warriors penetrates in the game against the San Antonio Spurs at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, March 31, 2024. /CFP
Golden State Warriors 117-113 San Antonio Spurs
The Warriors ended their five-game road trip with four straight wins after beating the Spurs at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday. Stephen Curry made seven triples out of 15 attempts to drop the court-high 33 points in addition to eight assists for the Warriors. Draymond Green missed only one of his nine FGs to contribute 21 points, 11 assists and six steals.
The Spurs' unicorn rookie Victor Wembanyama didn't shoot to kill on Sunday night with an FG rate of 45.5 percent, but he still left no crumbs on the stats sheet with 32 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks. His 18 points in the fourth quarter led the Spurs to a sharp rally that scared the Warriors into a cold sweat.
Los Angeles lakers 116-104 Brooklyn Nets
Philadelphia 76ers 135-120 Toronto Raptors
Miami Heat 119-107 Washington Wizards
Chicago Bulls 109-101 Minnesota Timberwolves
Utah Jazz 106-127 Sacramento Kings