Gilgeous-Alexander scores a personal best of 54 points and Thunder defeats Jazz 123-114

OKLAHOMA CITY— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander impressed with a career-high 54 points. and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Utah Jazz 123-114 on Wednesday.

Gilgeous-Alexander made 17 of 35 shots from the field and 17 of 18 free throws to surpass his best mark of 45 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds, dished out five assists and had three steals.

Jalen Williams added 25 points for the Thunder (36-7), who are tied with Cleveland for the league’s best record.

John Collins had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Collin Sexton had 18 points and nine assists, while Walker Kessler had 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Jazz, who lost their fourth consecutive game.

Utah (10-32), the worst team in the Western Conference, remained competitive throughout the game.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 points in the first half to help Oklahoma City take a 57-55 halftime lead. He scored 18 points in the third quarter as the Thunder took a 95-89 lead.

Gilgeous-Alexander took a break early in the fourth quarter, and the Thunder already held a 102-99 lead when they returned to the game. He hit a three-pointer that gave the Thunder a 115-106 lead and secured their record-breaking night.

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This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.