By ASSOCIATED PRESS
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, Oklahoma City had a 33-4 run and the defending champion Thunder routed the Utah Jazz, 144-112, on Friday night, Nov. 21, in NBA Cup play to improve to 16-1 and push their winning streak to eight.
Gilgeous-Alexander was shooting less than 27% on 3-pointers after seven games but has made half his long-range shots since then and all three attempts from beyond the arc against Utah to go along with 9-of-13 shooting from the field and 10 of 12 from the line.
Isaiah Joe scored 16 points and Jaylin Williams made five 3s for a season-high 15 points for Oklahoma City. The Thunder — 2-0 in the NBA Cup — shot 61.4% from the field and a season-best 62.2% on 3s, making 23 of 37.
Keyonte George scored 20 points and Lauri Markkanen added 19 for Utah. The Jazz are 5-10 overall and 0-3 in tournament play.
The Thunder forced 28 turnovers and turned them into 44 points, disrupting the Jazz sets and visibly frustrating Utah’s players.
Utah led 84-77 before the Thunder finished the third quarter on the 33-4 run, including 22 points in a row. Oklahoma City is the league’s best third-quarter team and showed it by forcing nine turnovers with suffocating pressure defense while shooting 9 for 13 from 3-point range.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 as OKC outscored Utah 43-20 in the period. Incredibly, Utah led by 18 points (39-21) before OKC led by 36 late in the game.
The Jazz scored 44 points in the first quarter, more than any team has tallied in any quarter against the Thunder this season, to lead 44-30.
The Jazz led the entire first half but the Thunder closed to 68-67 and Coach Mark Daigneault was assessed a technical foul arguing a non-call at the halftime buzzer.
Meanwhile in Toronto, Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett each scored 24 points, Scottie Barnes had 23 and the Raptors became the first team to reach the NBA Cup quarterfinals by beating the Washington Wizards, 140-110.
Toronto secured first place in Group A with the victory and Indiana’s loss at Cleveland.
Sandro Mamukelashvili scored a season-high 23 points and Immanuel Quickley added 17 as Toronto improved to 3-0 in NBA Cup play and extended its winning streak to six games.
CJ McCollum scored 20 points, Tre Johnson had 14 and Cam Whitmore added 11 for the woeful Wizards (1-14), who lost their 13th straight and fell to 0-10 against Eastern Conference opponents.
Jamal Shead had a season-high 10 assists for the Raptors. Toronto has won 10 of 11 since a four-game skid that followed a season-opening win at Atlanta.
The Raptors set a season high in points. The 30-point margin of victory was Toronto’s biggest this season, eclipsing a 28-point home win over Milwaukee on Nov. 4.
Bilal Coulibaly gave Washington its only lead by scoring the game’s opening basket on a fast-break dunk. Toronto responded with 11 consecutive points and never trailed again.
Coulibaly didn’t make another shot, missing five attempts from long range.
The Raptors led 105-77 through three quarters and improved to 10-0 this season when taking a lead to the fourth.
The Wizards missed 12 of their first 13 attempts from 3-point range and finished 12 for 41 from distance. Washington’s starters combined to go 3 for 21 from beyond the 3-point line.
Wizards center Alex Sarr sat for the second straight game because of a sore left big toe. Marvin Bagley III (right hip contusion) was also out.
Raptors rookie Collin Murray-Boyles missed his second straight game because of a sore right knee.
