OKLAHOMA CITY – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 37 points and eight assists. Oklahoma City Thunder held on to win Phoenix Suns With a 123-119 win Friday night, they advanced to the NBA Cup playoffs.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 points in the final seven minutes on 4-of-5 shooting to help the defending champion Thunder win their 11th straight and become the fifth team in NBA history to start 19-1. They finished 4-0 in Western Group A.
Chet Holmgren had 23 points and eight rebounds for Oklahoma City.
Jalen Williams returned from wrist surgery with 11 points and eight assists. He played 29 minutes and made 3 of 12 shots. The All-Star guard/forward underwent surgery in July to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist, as well as a subsequent procedure to remove a screw that was causing the irritation.
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in 92 straight games, which ties Wilt Chamberlain for the second-longest streak in NBA history. Chamberlain ranks first with a record of 126 consecutive games.
Collin Gillespie scored 24 points for Phoenix, which also advanced to the eighth round. Devin Booker had 21 and eight rebounds and Dillon Brooks had 19 points.
Each team made 15 3-point shots, most of which came in a frenzied fourth quarter that saw Phoenix cut the lead to one point several times. Gillespie's 3-pointer put Phoenix up 115-14, but Gilgeous-Alexander responded from behind the arc to make it 118-114.
Suns: Host Denver on Saturday night.
Thunder: At Portland on Sunday night.
