Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a standout performance with 40 points, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to their 10th consecutive NBA victory. Despite being listed as sick, he played a key role in their 113-105 NBA Cup win against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Paycom Center. At 27, Gilgeous-Alexander has maintained a streak of scoring at least 20 points in 91 straight games, marking the third-longest run in NBA history. For the Timberwolves, struggling with a three-game losing streak, Anthony Edwards contributed 31 points and eight rebounds.
Oklahoma City has started the season with an impressive 18-1 record, becoming only the fifth NBA team to achieve this feat. They have won all three NBA Cup matchups, securing the top spot in Group A of the Western Conference. The NBA Cup is a mid-season tournament where teams compete for trophies, with the results also impacting the overall season standings. Upcoming games include the Thunder hosting the Phoenix Suns and the Timberwolves facing the Boston Celtics.
Elsewhere, the Toronto Raptors edged past the Indiana Pacers 97-95 to advance to the quarterfinals, with Brandon Ingram scoring crucial points in the final minute and extending the Raptors’ winning streak to nine games. Reid Shepard scored a career-high 31 points to help the Houston Rockets defeat the Golden State Warriors 104-100 in San Francisco. Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons saw their franchise-record 14-game winning streak come to an end as Jaylen Brown’s 33 points and 10 rebounds led the Boston Celtics to a 117-114 home victory.
Fan Take: Gilgeous-Alexander’s remarkable scoring streak and the Thunder’s historic start to the season signal a comeback story that could reshape the NBA hierarchy. Basketball fans should be excited as these performances raise the stakes in the evolving competition and add new thrilling chapters to the sport’s narrative.
