NBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads Oklahoma City Thunder to win after injury
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander marked his return from injury with 36 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 127-121 in overtime.
The reigning NBA MVP has been sidelined since suffering an abdominal strain on Feb. 3 and has missed nine games.
He played 34 minutes upon his return but was benched in overtime as Alex Caruso led the Thunder to their sixth win in their last eight games.
“I felt good,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I’m just grateful to be back.”
The 27-year-old was in action from the start, opening his account with a layup before being called for a technical foul for throwing the ball at Denver’s Nikola Jokic who made contact with him after the play stopped.
Thunder forward Lugentz Dort was later ejected for a flagrant foul after he tripped Jokic, sparking a push in which Jokic and Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams received technical fouls.
Caruso drove to the basket in the final seconds of regulation, but his shot bounced off the rim at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
However, the Thunder scored the first five points of overtime and held on for the victory to maintain a two-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs atop the Western Conference.
2026-02-28 09:41:00
