NBA Sunday: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pours in 36 points as champion Thunder edge Clippers
Reigning champion Oklahoma City overcomes Los Angeles 116-109 at Intuit Dome behind clutch fourth-quarter shotmaking.
MVP-caliber execution silences Intuit Dome crowd
The defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder demonstrated their championship steel on Sunday night, 1 November, defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 116-109 before a sellout crowd at the newly opened Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
Superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was nothing short of unstoppable, delivering a virtuoso performance of 36 points on 13-of-21 shooting, nine assists, and six rebounds. With the score knotted at 102-102 inside the final three minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander took complete control of the floor. The Canadian maestro isolated Kawhi Leonard at the top of the key, stepped back smoothly, and buried a 20-foot dagger jumper.
On the next possession, Gilgeous-Alexander drew two defenders into the lane before feeding a cutting Chet Holmgren for a thunderous two-handed slam that pushed the advantage to four. Holmgren provided tremendous defensive presence all night, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds, and four blocked shots.
Thunder title defense off to perfect 4-0 start
The Clippers pushed hard behind Leonard (27 points) and James Harden (19 points, 11 assists), but Oklahoma City’s suffocating perimeter defense forced three critical turnovers in the final 90 seconds. Guard Jalen Williams iced the victory at the free-throw line, finishing with 21 points.
The victory improves Oklahoma City to 4-0 on the young campaign, extending their winning streak to nine consecutive regular-season games dating back to the spring. Head coach Mark Daigneault’s squad has shown no championship hangover, sitting atop the Western Conference with the league’s top-rated net rating.
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