Thunder avenge lone loss of season

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Oklahoma City Thunder avenged their only defeat of the season on Sunday, using a fourth-quarter surge to beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 123-115, and improve to 20-1.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 points to lead six Thunder players in double figures.

With their 12th straight win Oklahoma City are off to the best start since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors opened the season 21-0.

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander’s 93rd straight game with at least 20 points is the second-longest such streak behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 126 straight set from October 1961-January 1963.

He surpassed a 92-game streak set by Chamberlain from February 1963-March 1964.

Center Chet Holmgren added 19 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots and a steal for the Thunder, who opened the final period on an 8-0 scoring run to gain the upper hand in a tense clash that featured 15 lead changes.

Oklahoma City suffered their only defeat of the season against the Blazers on 5 November when the Thunder squandered a 22-point lead and fell, 121-119, in Portland.

The Blazers again put them to the test taking an 87-85 lead into the final period.

Deni Avdija led the Trail Blazers with a triple-double of 31 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists, but the Thunder wouldn’t be denied.