Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points to lead Oklahoma City Thunder to a home victory 137-101 over New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.
Thunder extended his winning line to six matches while Pelican’s losing line was expanded to nine.
During the winning line, Thunder has won by an average of almost 26 points per match.
They ran with this early and overcame a slow offensive start to lead by 13 after a block, thanks to a 13-3 run to end the frame.
Gilgeous-Alexander made eight during the route, including a four-point game after meeting a Step-back 3 pointer and taking a foul from Jordan Hawkins.
Oklahoma City stretched its lead as large as 29 points during the second quarter and New Orleans was never closer than 22 during the second half.
With Thunder who led the match comfortably, Gilgeous-Alexander set out the entire fourth quarter. It was the 13th game this season where Gilgeous-Alexander did not play in the fourth.
Aaron Wiggins added 24 points from the bench for the thunderstorm and went 9 out of 13 from the floor.
Wiggins is on average 23.2 points per match during the winning line after an average of 9.3 points per match during their first 46 matches.
Oklahoma City met a franchise record 27 3-points, with four each from Gilgeous-Alexander, Wiggins and Alex Caruso.
Thunder, who had not met more than 20 in a game this season, was 27 out of 55 (49.1 percent) beyond the arch.
Oklahoma City received 40 points on 23 Pelican’s turnover.
Thunder set that tone from early and made 12 of New Orlean’s first seven quarterly turns.
Chet Holmgren, who only played his second game since returning from an extended absence due to a pelvic fracture, had 12 points, six returns and five blocks.
New Orleans’ Zion Williamson, who came from a season’s high 40 points in Saturday’s loss in Sacramento, had 17 points and five assists.
Williamson did not make a field goal until the last two minutes of the first half
Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 23 points.
-Field level media
