Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Tuesday delivered a 40-point scoring performance as the Oklahoma City Thunder became the first team to punch their ticket to the NBA playoffs with a 113-108 defeat of the Orlando Magic.

Gilgeous-Alexander was backed with 20 points and 12 rebounds from Chet Holmgren, while Ajay Mitchell’s 16 point-display helped the NBA champions slam the door on the Magic in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma City’s ninth straight victory leaves them 54-15 at the top of the Western Conference, ahead of the second-placed San Antonio Spurs.

Orlando fell to 38-30 to remain in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Paolo Banchero led Orlando’s scoring with 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Photo: AP

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Gilgeous-Alexander saluted the Thunder’s resilience after a mixed first-half performance.

“We got off to a good start, but then the car kind of came off the road for a little bit,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “But that’s what great teams do — they figure out a way to get the car back on the road, they figure out a way to go into a building and win a game when the chips are stacked against you, and we did that tonight.”

Gilgeous-Alexander’s virtuoso display extended his record-breaking streak of consecutive games scoring 20 points or more to 129.

With about four minutes to go in the second quarter, Alex Caruso lost his shoe on the defensive end and picked it up. He came over to help on guard Tristan de Silva’s drive to the basket, reaching up with his hand — and his shoe — to swat de Silva’s shot.

De Silva was awarded the basket and Caruso called for a technical foul.

Elsewhere, The San Antonio Spurs rode over the Sacramento Kings 132-104, the Minnesota Timberwolves took down the Phoenix Suns 116-104, the Detroit Pistons cruised past the Washington Wizards 130-117, the New York Knicks devastated the Indiana Pacers 136-110, the Denver Nuggets crushed the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers 124-96, the Charlotte Hornets stung the Miami Heat 136-106 and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 123-116.

Additional reporting by staff writer, with Reuters