Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points in his return from an abdominal strain as OKC beat the Denver Nuggets 127-121 in overtime Friday night in a heated NBA game.
The reigning MVP missed nine games before returning to the lineup and he didn’t play in overtime, but the Thunder still secured the overtime victory.
Nikola Jokic finished with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists for Denver. He was involved in a fourth-quarter altercation with Lu Dort, who was ejected after being charged with a Flagrant 2 foul.
Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 39 points after being listed as questionable due to illness.
Gilgeous-Alexander was assessed a technical foul after throwing the ball at Jokic following contact after a whistle and Denver’s bench also received a technical foul in the third quarter.
OKC trailed 59-50 at halftime as Denver shot 11 of 20 from three-point range. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 14 points in the third quarter to help OKC rally.
Dort’s three-pointer in the fourth gave the Thunder an 86-85 lead before tensions boiled over.
The game was tied 107 at the end of regulation before OKC pulled away in overtime to improve its record in a hotly contested NBA rivalry.
