NBA: Thunder react to Lakers and Cavaliers storm Denver on a day marked by fights

United States.– The Oklahoma City Thunder avoided falling into a losing streak by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers as visitors, while the Cleveland Cavaliers surprised the Denver Nuggets at home, in a night of intense action that was also marked by altercations in Charlotte and Minneapolis.

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Oklahoma City arrived at the Crypto.com Arena after two consecutive losses and without their star player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, they found an unexpected leader in Jalen Williams. The forward returned after a ten-game absence due to injury and responded with 23 points, 13 of them in the final quarter, to guide the 110-119 victory. The Thunder, leaders of the West (41-13), dominated much of the game, although the Lakers reacted with the push of LeBron James (22 points) and Marcus Smart (19). Despite the attempted comeback by the Los Angeles team, the visiting team closed with authority.

Cleveland Holds On in Denver

In Ball Arena, Cleveland (33-21) showed skill to defeat Denver (34-20) 117-119. The Donovan Mitchell-James Harden tandem was again decisive, combining for 54 points, backed by Jarrett Allen. Denver controlled the game for a large part of the match, but never managed to pull away on the scoreboard. With 32 seconds left, Harden tied the game with a three-pointer (117-117). In the last possession, Mitchell drew a foul from Jamal Murray and converted the two decisive free throws. Nikola Jokic recorded another triple-double (22 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists), but his final attempt from beyond the arc didn't find the hoop.

Fights and ejections

The day also left tense scenes. In the 104-110 victory of the Detroit Pistons over the Charlotte Hornets, a brawl in the third quarter ended with multiple ejections, including players from both teams and the Charlotte coach. In Minneapolis, another altercation between players from the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Atlanta Hawks also resulted in ejections. Minnesota won 138-116, fueled by Anthony Edwards' 30 points, while CJ McCollum added 38 for Atlanta.

More featured results

• The Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 114-113 with a decisive basket by Brazilian Gui Santos in the last minute.
• The Orlando Magic beat the Milwaukee Bucks 118-99.
• The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 135-118.
• The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Sacramento Kings 120-94, in a duel in which Russell Westbrook reached the mark of 27,000 points in his career.
• The Brooklyn Nets added their second consecutive victory by defeating the Chicago Bulls 123-115.
• The Utah Jazz won 111-115 against the Miami Heat.

The day made it clear that, in the final stretch of the season, every victory counts and the intensity begins to be felt both on the scoreboard and on the court.