Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday scored a career-high 54 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 123-114 home win over the Utah Jazz.
Neither team led by double digits until the Thunder pulled away in the final three minutes.
Jalen Williams finished off a three-point play to break a tie at 106-106 with just over five minutes remaining, launching a closing 17-8 run.
Photo: AP
Gilgeous-Alexander helped break the game open, coming up with the rebound on his own missed three-pointer, then making a trey to put Oklahoma City ahead by nine with 3 minutes, 32 seconds remaining.
He hit a pair of free throws to put the Thunder ahead by 11 then sank a fadeaway jumper in the lane for his first career 50-point game.
Gilgeous-Alexander easily topped his previous career high of 45, accomplished twice earlier this season. He attempted a career-high 35 shots, making 17, and also went 17 of 18 from the free-throw line.
Gilgeous-Alexander also had eight rebounds, five steals, three steals and two blocks.
Williams, who missed the Thunder’s Sunday win over the Brooklyn Nets with a strained right hip, had 25 points with his parents in the stands wearing split Oklahoma City-Utah jerseys.
Williams’ brother, Cody, plays for the Jazz, but missed the game with a sprained left ankle.
After a bit of a slow start, Gilgeous-Alexander surged late in the first quarter, scoring 15 points in the period.
However, the Thunder were just two of 10 from beyond the arc in the opening quarter.
Oklahoma City led by nine with just over five minutes remaining in the second quarter before the Jazz ripped off a 15-6 run to tie the game.
Lauri Markkanen scored seven of his 17 points during the stretch.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 18 points in Oklahoma City’s 38-point third quarter.
John Collins led Utah with 22 points and added 12 rebounds. Collin Sexton finished with 18 points and nine assists, Walker Kessler had 17 points and 15 rebounds, while Keyonte George contributed 15 points and 10 assists.
The Thunder have won 21 of their past 23 games, while the Jazz have lost four straight and 12 of 15.
The scheduled game between the Milwaukee Bucks and hosts the Pelicans was postponed due to extreme weather conditions that left about 10 inches of snow in New Orleans on Tuesday.
The date for the rescheduled game had not been announced.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, it was:
‧ Rockets 109, Cavaliers 108
‧ Kings 123, Warriors 117
‧ Clippers 113, Celtics 117 (OT)
‧ Hawks 104, Pistons 114
‧ Mavericks 114, T’wolves 115
‧ Grizzlies 132, Hornets 120
‧ Nets 84, Suns 108
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