NBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder rally to beat Hawks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder draws a foul from AJ Griffin #14 of the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at State Farm Arena on December 05, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/AFP
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, his seventh straight game of 30-plus points, to lead the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder to a 121-114 come-from-behind win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.
The win was the third straight for the Thunder and ended a three-game losing streak to the Hawks. It also snapped Atlanta’s two-game winning streak.
The Thunder trailed by as many as 14 in the second half but outscored the Hawks 25-18 over the final 5:37 after the game was tied 96-96.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 points in the fourth quarter. He was 10-for-22 from the field and 15-for-15 from the foul line with six rebounds and five assists for the game.
Oklahoma City had five others score in double figures, including Josh Giddey, who scored 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, and Ousmane Dieng, who came off the bench to score 15.
"Every experience, every night we can learn."
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander speaks with Paris Lawson following his 35-point performance in the win over Atlanta!@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/zUpBM0wka1
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) December 6, 2022
Atlanta was led by Dejounte Murray’s 24 points and Trae Young, who returned after missing Friday’s game with a sore shoulder to post 23 points and 10 assists. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 17 points and Clint Capela added 14 points and 16 rebounds.
Atlanta used a 12-2 run early in the second quarter to take a 10-point lead at 7:41 on a dunk by Onyeka Okongwu. The Hawks got 12 points in the half from Bogdanovic on four 3-pointers and had a 59-54 lead at the break.
Atlanta stretched the lead to 13 on a trey from Bogdanovic at 4:41 of the third, but the Thunder got as close as two points and cut the Hawks’ lead to 88-84 entering the fourth quarter.
Prior to the game, Atlanta television broadcaster Bob Rathbun suffered a medical issue on the air. He was treated for dehydration and taken to the hospital for further examination, where he was stable and responsive, according to a statement issued by the Hawks.
Atlanta plays again Wednesday in New York. Oklahoma City plays at Memphis on Wednesday, the third leg of a five-game road trip.
