Late surge lifts Thunder, Celtics rally to down Hawks
Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots over Noah Clowney in the Lakers' NBA victory over the Brooklyn Nets (Kevin Terrell) The Oklahoma City Thunder got back in the win column on Friday, beating the Chicago Bulls 131-113 to maintain their grip on first place in the NBA Western Conference. Two days after their 12-game winning streak was halted by the Boston Celtics, the defending champions Thunder were again on the ropes against the visiting Bulls. Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander connected on just eight of 24 shots for the Thunder, who trailed by eight late in the third quarter but unleashed a furious 22-0 scoring run to turn it into a blowout.
Cason Wallace added 21 points for Oklahoma City. Jalen Williams scored 18 and Ajay Mitchell and Isaiah Joe added 15 apiece off the bench for the Thunder, who were without All-Star Chet Holmgren who sat out with a bruised hip. It was a key win for the Thunder, who came into the contest with a two-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs for top spot and home court advantage in the Western Conference playoffs.
Collin Sexton scored 22 points and Tre Jones added 21 for the Bulls. In Boston, the Celtics shook off a sluggish start against the high-flying Hawks to triumph 109-102. The Hawks, who had won nine of their last 10 games, led by as many as 16 in the first quarter.
But Payton Pritchard's 36 points off the bench and 26 points and 12 rebounds from Jayson Tatum led the hosts' fightback on a night when Jaylen Brown was sidelined by Achilles tendinitis. It was Tatum's highest-scoring performance since he made his season debut this month after recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in last year's playoffs. He scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics seal the comeback and maintain their slim advantage over the New York Knicks for second place in the Eastern Conference.
The Los Angeles Clippers, jostling for position in the play-in tournament, got a scare against the league-worst Indiana Pacers. But Kawhi Leonard drilled a game-winning basket with less than a second remaining in a 114-113 victory. Leonard finished with 28 points and eight rebounds and Darius Garland scored 30 for the Clippers.