Los Angeles, United States – The Oklahoma City Thunder, fueled by 34 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knocked off Western Conference leaders Minnesota 129-106 on Tuesday as Detroit’s 27th defeat saddled them with an unwelcome piece of NBA history.
The Thunder underscored their status as Western Conference contenders with a convincing home win over the Timberwolves.
Jalen Williams scored 21 points, rookie Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort added 20 apiece and Oklahoma City made 18 three-pointers in a game they led by as many as 25 points.
“I think we played together on both ends of the floor for the most part of the night,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “When we do that and trust that, things go our way usually.”
The Thunder connected on better than 60 percent of their shots from the field and, despite a size disadvantage, were dominant defensively, harrying the Timberwolves into 24 turnovers.
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 25 points. Mike Conley added 17 and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 16.
It was another dismal night in Detroit, where the Pistons’ 118-112 loss to the Brooklyn Nets saw them set a single-season record for consecutive defeats.