NBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pours in 45, lifts Thunder past Clippers

(Reuters) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 45 points to lead the host Oklahoma City Thunder to a 134-128 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.

Oklahoma City is 3-0 this season on the second night of a back-to-back. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak by the Clippers.

The Clippers cut what was a 20-point deficit to three with just more than two minutes remaining before Gilgeous-Alexander answered with a step-back 3-pointer.

Ivica Zubac's three-point play with 42 seconds left cut the deficit to 130-128 before Gilgeous-Alexander hit a pair of free throws and Luguentz Dort had a steal leading to a Jalen Williams dunk in the closing seconds to put the game away.

Playing a day after Chet Holmgren suffered a pelvic fracture in a loss to Golden State, the Thunder leaned heavily on Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams.

Gilgeous-Alexander was 13 of 21 from the field and hit a season-high four 3-pointers while Williams added 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting.

The Thunder shot 51.6 percent from the floor and were 22 of 23 from the free-throw line.

Holmgren will be evaluated in eight to 10 weeks, the Thunder announced before the game.

Playing without Holmgren, and with several other frontcourt players injured as well, the Thunder went with a smaller lineup.

Oklahoma City thrived for much of the game after starting Williams with Aaron Wiggins and Dort in the frontcourt.

The Thunder led for much of the game, building their lead to 20 by midway through the third.

But the Clippers finally had success on the interior over the last half of the quarter, reeling off a 25-10 run to cut the deficit to five heading into the fourth.

Zubac had six points and a block during the run, while Norman Powell had 12 points.

Powell had a pair of steals in the final two minutes of the quarter that led to points on the other end.

Powell scored 18 of his 31 points in the third quarter and finished with five 3-pointers.

Zubac finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds as the Clippers outrebounded Oklahoma City 56-34.