Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points Monday in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s win over the Atlanta Hawks, the San Antonio Spurs added another loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Nikola Jokic left the Miami Heat-Denver Nuggets with a knee injury in some of Monday’s NBA games.
The Thunder (28-5) are determined to prove that their losses to the Spurs were just a Christmas stumble. On Monday, they beat the Hawks (15-19) 140-129 amid trade rumors involving Trae Young and Zaccharie Risacher.
Gilgeous-Alexander shined in the Thunder’s victory at the same time that his great rival for the ‘MVP’, Jokic, was injured in Miami. The Canadian signed 39 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals.
Chet Holmgren contributed 24 points, Jalen Williams 20, Cason Wallace 17 and Alex Caruso 16.
Shai’s cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, led the Hawks with 30 points, while Onyeka Okongwu signed a double-double for Atlanta with 26 points and 14 rebounds.
Czech Vit Krejci contributed another 18.
Young did not play due to a bruised right thigh, while Risacher started and contributed 12 points.
Spurs, from heaven to earth
Victor Wembanyama and company have gone in four days from being the hottest team in the NBA after knocking out the Thunder twice in 48 hours to two losses that raise many doubts about their consistency.
The Spurs (23-9) fell 101-113 to the Cavaliers (18-16) after also losing in San Antonio to the Utah Jazz in two games in which they were very poor shooters.
Jarrett Allen signed a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds and Darius Garland also finished with a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists.
Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs’ star, had to settle for 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field.
For the Spurs, he finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds, Stephon Castle contributed 15 points and De’Aaron Fox 14.
Jokic’s knee on hold
The Nuggets lost 147-123 at Miami, but that was the last of the Denver franchise’s worries at the end of the game: their star, three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, had to leave the court with a sore knee.
The injury occurred seconds before halftime when, in a defensive action, teammate Spencer Jones stepped on the Serbian’s left foot, causing him to twist his knee.
Jokic went to the floor immediately, only to parade shortly thereafter to the locker room under his own power, albeit with a limp.
The Nuggets announced minutes ago that Jokic would not return.
This Tuesday it will be evaluated to determine its extent.
Before leaving the court, he had 21 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds.
The Serbian is averaging 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds and 11.1 assists per game this season, with 16 triple-doubles, and is so far the favorite to be crowned MVP for the fourth time.
Other results of Monday’s games in the NBA
In addition to the duels in Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Miami, on Monday the New York Knicks defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 125-130 and remain just one win behind the Detroit Pistons, leaders of the Eastern Conference.
In Chicago, the Minnesota Timberwolves humiliated the Bulls 101-136, while the Milwaukee Bucks picked up their second consecutive win in Charlotte after Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return by defeating the Hornets 113-123.
The Phoenix Suns beat the Washington Wizards 101-115 and the Houston Rockets beat the Indiana Pacers 126-119 with 30 points from Kevin Durant.
The Toronto Raptors beat the Orlando Magic 107-106 despite Paolo Banchero’s triple-double (23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists) and the Golden State Warriors defeated the Nets in Brooklyn 107-120.
Filed under: Monday NBA games
With information from EFE
