CHICAGO (AP) — Jared McCain scored 20 points, Isaiah Joe added 19 and the Oklahoma City Thunder — playing without star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — beat the Chicago Bulls, 116-108, on Tuesday night, March 3.
The defending NBA champion Thunder held out Gilgeous-Alexander to manage an abdominal strain that sidelined him for most of last month. But even without the reigning MVP, they had more than enough to win for the sixth time in seven games. They lead the Western Conference at 48-15.
McCain made four 3-pointers. Aaron Wiggins scored 18 points. Jaylin Williams had 17 points and 16 rebounds. Cason Wallace had 17 points, and Chet Holmgren added 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Collin Sexton scored 20 points for Chicago, including a 3 in the closing minute that cut it to 112-106. But the Bulls got back to losing after stopping an 11-game skid with a lopsided win over Milwaukee on Sunday.
Guerschon Yabusele had a season-high 18 points and 12 rebounds for his third double-double in 11 games since a trade-deadline deal with New York. The 6-foot-8, 283-pound Frenchman made four 3-pointers.
Josh Giddey just missed his ninth triple-double and second in two games, with 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Matas Buzelis scored 11 points before limping to the locker room near the end of the third quarter. He rolled his right ankle when he stepped on Williams’ foot and did not return to the game.
The Thunder trailed 60-59 early in the third when Holmgren dunked to start a 14-3 run. They outscored Chicago 8-2 over the final three minutes of the quarter, including a 3 by McCain, to take an 87-76 lead to the fourth.
Meanwhile, Dylan Harper scored 22 points and Victor Wembanyama needed only 10 to help the San Antonio Spurs bounce back from their first loss in 12 games and rout the Philadelphia 76ers, 131-91.
The Spurs hit 18 3-pointers and wrapped their annual rodeo road trip that included two games in Austin, Texas. The Spurs went 8-1 on the trip that started with a Feb. 10 win against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Spurs had won 11 straight games overall before they lost Sunday to the New York Knicks.
No worries in Philly about a losing streak. San Antonio never trailed and led by 49 points at the end of the third quarter.
Devin Vassell hit six 3-pointers and scored 22 points for the Spurs. Tyrese Maxey scored 21 points for the Sixers. They scored only 11 points total in the third quarter.
In Los Angeles, Luka Doncic had 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, LeBron James added 21 points and the Lakers rallied past the New Orleans Pelicans, 110-101, for their third straight victory.
Deandre Ayton had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers, who overcame a fourth-quarter deficit and 21 turnovers by scoring 14 straight points down the stretch and finishing on a 24-7 run. Their late surge was led by Doncic and by Austin Reaves, who missed his first eight shots of the night before ending up with 15 points.
Zion Williamson scored 24 points in his return from a one-game absence after hurting his ankle last Saturday for the Pelicans, who lost for only the second time in six games on the fourth outing of their six-game West Coast trip. Trey Murphy III scored 21 points and Saddiq Bey had 18.
