He played 11 NBA Cup games last night, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Sacramento Kings 132-101 in the first game of Group A West away from home, and Isaiah Hartenstein and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each scored more than 30 points.
Hartenstein with 33 points, which is the most in his career, he also grabbed 19 jumpsa Gilgeous-Alexander added 30 more points, helping the Thunder bounce back from their only loss of the season Wednesday night in Portland. Ajay Mitchell recorded the second double-double performance of his career. Mitchell added 18 points and 10 assists, which is his personal best.
Longtime Thunder star Russell Westbrook he had 24 points, nine assists and six rebounds for the Kings, who lost for the second time this season against the defending champions. Dario Šarić did not compete for the Sacramento team. The Thunder went into halftime with a 70-56 lead, and the Kings never got closer than eight points until the end of the game.
The Thunder were defeated in the finals last season NBA Cup from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Miami Heat defeated East 128-108 at home in the first game of Group C Charlotte Hornetsand Norman Powell participated in his team’s victory with 25 points. Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished with 18 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for Miami, which entered the game fourth in the NBA in scoring average (122.4) and was without its two All-Stars: Bam Adebayo (toe) and Tyler Herr (ankle).
Orlando celebrated for the third time in the fourth game
Miami scored 53 points in its record first quarter – second-highest first-quarter scoring in league history – shooting 67.7 percent overall (21-of-31) and 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from 3-point range. The Heat had 13 assists and no turnovers in that quarter. The game’s leading scorer for Charlotte was Kon Knueppel, a rookie first-round draft pick, with 30 steals, and Tre Mann added 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Orlando Magic were better than 123-110 in Group B East at home Boston Celticsand Franz Wagner, who scored 27 points, led them to their third win in the last four games. Desmond Bane added 22 tackles and Wendell Carter Jr. 18 for Orlando, while Boston was not helped by Jaylen Brown’s 32 points, who also grabbed nine rebounds.
Cleveland Cavaliers won 148-114 on the road Washington Wizards in the Group A East game, and Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points, leading seven players in double figures. The Cavaliers set a season high for points scored and won their 13th straight over the Wizards. Darius Garland scored 20 points, and Evan Mobley (18 points and 10 rebounds) and Jarrett Allen (16 points and 14 rebounds) both had double-doubles for the Cavaliers, who led by as many as 37 points and won their third straight. CJ McCollum led the Wizards with 25 points, while Tre Johnson scored 18 points.
San Antonio Spurs won 121-110 in Group C West at home Houston Rocketsand Harrison Barnes contributed to the victory with 24 points, while Victor Wembanyama and Julian Champagnie each added 22 points. Devin Vassell added 15 points for the Spurs, who snapped a two-game losing streak. The best scorer of the game and of the defeated team was Alperen Sengun who scored 25 points, while Kevin Durant added 24 for the Rockets, whose streak of five victories was interrupted.
Detroit Pistons won 125-107 in New York in Group B East Brooklyn Nets mostly thanks to Cade Cunningham who finished the game with 34 points and 10 assists. The Pistons overcame an early 10-point deficit to win their fifth straight game. Jalen Duren added 30 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit. The Nets failed to win another after their first in eight games and fell to 0-5 at home. Michael Porter Jr. led Brooklyn with 28 points.
Toronto Raptors extended their winning streak to four games after beating the home team 109-97 last night in Group A East Atlanta Hawks. RJ Barrett scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, Brandon Ingram had 20 points and Immanuel Quickley had 18. Jalen Johnson had 21 points and seven rebounds for the Hawks, who have won three of their previous four games.
Antetokounmpo great in the win
Milwaukee Bucks won in Group C East at home with 126-110 Chicago Bullsand they were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo with 41 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. Ryan Rollins finished with 20 points for the Bucks, who have alternated wins and losses in five games. Matas Buzelis finished the game with 20 points and eight rebounds for the Bulls, who suffered their second loss in three games.
Minnesota Timberwolves won the Group A West game in Minneapolis with a high score of 137-97 Utah Jazz for whom this is the fifth defeat in the last six games. The Timberwolves’ most effective player was Anthony Edwards with 37 points, followed by Julius Randle with a triple-double performance of 19 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Keyonte George scored 18 points for the Jazz, and Lauri Markkanen finished with 12 points but missed 10 of 14 shots from the field.
Memphis Grizzlies ended their four-game losing streak by winning at home with 118-104 Dallas Mavericks in the match of Group B West. Ja Morant and rookie Cedric Coward scored 21 points each, and Jaren Jackson Jr. he finished with 17 points for Memphis. Morant added 13 assists and Coward nine rebounds. The Grizzlies used a strong first two quarters to build a 23-point lead at halftime. In the second half, they increased their advantage to 35 points and resisted the Mavericks’ late rush in the last minutes. Max Christie led Dallas with 18 goals, who lost their fourth game in a row.
Denver Nuggets won 129-104 in Group C West of the NAB Cup at home Golden State Warriorsand Nikola Jokić finished the game with 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Jamal Murray added 23 points and eight assists for Denver, which has won three straight. The Warriors played the second game in a row without an ailing Steph Curry, but Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler III returned after a one-day absence. Green scored a season-high 17 points, including five 3-pointers, while Butler finished with 16 points.
(China | Photo: OKC)
