Gilgeous-Alexander scores 29 and NBA-best Thunder beat Pelicans 104-95 to stop 2-game skid

Think of the, uh, we’ll start defense, just the, the effort and, and, and job you guys did defensively. I love the effort. Probably our one of our better defensive performances against this group, you know, so I think we, you know, we’re finding, we’re leaning to our defensive identity. That’s not gonna turn. You step on the floor, we got *** guard. So our group is doing that, you know, obviously, that gave us *** chance tonight, turned them over. You know, won the possession game. Uh, significantly, you know, gave ourselves *** shot tonight. So I just need *** few more buckets. What did you do? Was it, I mean, just looking at it, do you like shot quality? What, what, what did you see on the offense? We, I’ll go back and watch it. Obviously, I think it’s gonna be *** pretty good shot quality when we, you know, when it’s all said and done. Um, you know, I think that, obviously, they’re *** very good defense, taking away the paint, you know, Ze at the rim against them is going to be *** challenge. They were draped all over Murph. You know, Murph had *** hard time out there, but I loved how he’s fighting, he’s battling. Those are, these are the steps you got to go through though. This is part of his journey, you know, this is the, you get the primetime matchup and I think he’s doing *** heck of *** job, you know, and, I don’t see him backing down at all. He’s taken, you know, the fight, taking on the challenge. Obviously, that first quarter, we, I thought we should have been up double digits in that first quarter. The way we were guarding, the stops we’re getting, the looks we were getting, they just didn’t drop. Then you have *** little bit of *** lead there and you, you know, you can build on that into the 2nd quarter, but. In general, we just continue to battle, make or miss, and that’s what you got to be. That’s what good teams do. Make or miss, you’re *** defensive team, you get stops, you give yourselves *** shot, and, uh, I thought our group did that tonight, plus the offensive boards, 21 offensive rebounds. We just didn’t convert. They converted more of their offensive rebounds even though they had less. So we could have done ***, you know, *** better job there as well. This, this road trip as *** whole going back to, to, to Memphis. So what did you like about which kind of, Learned about this group during this, uh, during this little 3-game stretch. They’re capable of playing with anybody in the, in the league, period. You know, this team is growing, um, especially the way we’re guarding the physicality. I see an identity, of physicality, edge, toughness out there. We got to continue to build on that, you know, and, um, overall successful road trip. You know, obviously, we, we wanted this one. We got to go home, rest up, have *** good practice and get ready for one on Friday.

Updated: 10:23 PM CST Jan 27, 2026

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 104-95 on Tuesday night to avoid their first three-game skid of the season.Chet Holmgren had 20 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks for NBA-best Oklahoma City (38-10), which had lost back-to-back home games for the first time this season. Isaiah Joe added 17 points.The Thunder were missing starters Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein and Cason Wallace and key reserve Alex Caruso with injuries.Gilgeous-Alexander shot 8 of 22 from the field but went 13 of 14 from the foul line. He scored at least 20 points for the 118th consecutive game, the second-longest streak in NBA history.Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 11 rebounds. Saddiq Bey added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Pelicans, who had won two straight.Tempers flared in the closing minutes. First, Bey and Jaylin Williams got tangled up and were assessed technical fouls. With 9 seconds left, Jeremiah Fears, who played in college at Oklahoma, and Lu Dort grabbed each other’s jerseys before being separated. Fears then ran after Dort and players from both teams had to be separated.The Thunder missed their first eight shots while New Orleans started 1 of 9.Dort’s 3-pointer with 10.9 seconds left in the second quarter gave the Thunder a 48-46 lead at halftime.The Thunder took a 74-64 lead on a 3-pointer by Holmgren with 3:38 left in the third. A 3 by Dort made it 88-73.The Pelicans went on a 14-2 run capped by Fears’ 22-foot bank shot to cut the lead to 92-87. Dort’s fourth 3-pointer made it 98-87 with 3:26 remaining.Up nextPelicans: Host Memphis on Friday night.Thunder: At Minnesota on Thursday night.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 104-95 on Tuesday night to avoid their first three-game skid of the season.

Chet Holmgren had 20 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks for NBA-best Oklahoma City (38-10), which had lost back-to-back home games for the first time this season. Isaiah Joe added 17 points.

The Thunder were missing starters Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein and Cason Wallace and key reserve Alex Caruso with injuries.

Gilgeous-Alexander shot 8 of 22 from the field but went 13 of 14 from the foul line. He scored at least 20 points for the 118th consecutive game, the second-longest streak in NBA history.

Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 11 rebounds. Saddiq Bey added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Pelicans, who had won two straight.

Tempers flared in the closing minutes. First, Bey and Jaylin Williams got tangled up and were assessed technical fouls. With 9 seconds left, Jeremiah Fears, who played in college at Oklahoma, and Lu Dort grabbed each other’s jerseys before being separated. Fears then ran after Dort and players from both teams had to be separated.

The Thunder missed their first eight shots while New Orleans started 1 of 9.

Dort’s 3-pointer with 10.9 seconds left in the second quarter gave the Thunder a 48-46 lead at halftime.

The Thunder took a 74-64 lead on a 3-pointer by Holmgren with 3:38 left in the third. A 3 by Dort made it 88-73.

The Pelicans went on a 14-2 run capped by Fears’ 22-foot bank shot to cut the lead to 92-87. Dort’s fourth 3-pointer made it 98-87 with 3:26 remaining.

Up next

Pelicans: Host Memphis on Friday night.

Thunder: At Minnesota on Thursday night.

Gilgeous-Alexander scores 29 and NBA-best Thunder beat Pelicans 104-95 to stop 2-game skid

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