Thunder back on track; Kawhi drops 55

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Chet Holmgren scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead reigning champion Oklahoma City over Philadelphia, 129-104, on Sunday, snapping a two-game losing streak.

Reigning National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 27 points, five assists, two steals and two rebounds as the Thunder improved to 27-5.

“We just did a good job getting back to our style of play and our standards,” Thunder reserve Andrew Wiggins said. “We did a good job just course correcting.”

Wiggins scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting for the Thunder, who lost four of their prior six games, three of them to San Antonio.

“We had good recovery days and good practice and were just a little more disciplined within the way we want to play,” said Wiggins. “Did a good job making the right plays and sticking to it the entire game.”

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, meanwhile, had the biggest night, scoring a career-high 55 points in his team’s 112-99 home victory over Eastern Conference leader Detroit.

“It was great,” Leonard said. 

“I’ve got to stay in focus and stay in the zen because we’ve got one day off and games for about two weeks.”

“I’m going to enjoy this one tonight and happy we got the win.”

The Clippers (10-21) boosted their winning streak to four games as Leonard surpassed his prior NBA best of 45 points while with Toronto.

Leonard had 51 points by the end of the third quarter as the Clippers routed the Pistons, who own the NBA’s second-best record at 24-8.