Thunder too strong for Jazz

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SHAI Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 54 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 123-114 home win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).

Neither team led by double digits until the Thunder pulled away in the last three minutes.

Gilgeous-Alexander easily topped his previous career high of 45. He attempted a career-high 35 shots, making 17, and also went 17 of 18 from the free-throw line. The two-time All-Star added eight rebounds, five steals, three steals and two blocks.

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Jalen Williams, back from a one-game injury absence, put up 25 points as the Thunder won for the 21st time in 23 games. John Collins (22 points, 12 rebounds), Walker Kessler (17 points, 15 boards) and Keyonte George (15 points, 10 assists) had double-doubles for Utah, which has lost four in a row.

In other games, it was the Rockets 109, Cavs 108; Kings 123, Warriors 117; Celtics 117, Clippers 113 (OT); Pistons 114, Hawks 104; Wolves 115, Mavs 114; Grizzlies 132, Hornets 120; and Suns 108, Nets 84.

Rockets 109, Cavs 108

Alperen Sengun sank two free throws with 4.5 seconds left and Houston survived a seven-minute scoring drought in the fourth quarter to outlast visiting Cleveland.

The Cavaliers appeared to secure the upper hand when Darius Garland was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 2.8 seconds left. However, Garland missed the first two free throws, and Donovan Mitchell missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer as Cleveland fell to 3-3 in its past six games.

Fred VanVleet led Houston with 26 points, while Sengun (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Amen Thompson (16 points, 16 rebounds) chipped in double-doubles. Garland paced Cleveland with 26 points, Mitchell added 19 on 7-of-21 shooting, and Jarrett Allen posted 17 points and 13 boards.

Kings 123, Warriors 117

De’Aaron Fox saved eight of his 14 points for a game-ending flurry, DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points and Sacramento overcame an 18-point deficit to beat visiting Golden State.

In the last four minutes, the Kings rattled off 10 consecutive points to take a lead that turned into the 10th win in their past 11 games. Domantas Sabonis amassed 26 points and 18 rebounds for Sacramento.

Andrew Wiggins logged a team-high 25 points for the Warriors, who took their second loss in a row. Stephen Curry made just one 3-pointer on four attempts, finishing with 14 points and 12 assists.

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