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Gilgeous-Alexander scores 40 as Thunder top Suns 124-120

Gilgeous-Alexander scores 40 as Thunder top Suns 124-120 | iNFOnews.ca
Phoenix Suns forward Josh Okogie, center, shoots in front of guard Luguentz Dort, left, guard Josh Giddey, rear, and forward Jalen Williams, right, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 19, 2023, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns 124-120 on Sunday.

Fellow Canadian Luguentz Dort added 20 points for the Thunder, who have won four of five as they try to earn at least a play-in spot. Oklahoma City has missed the playoffs the past two years.

Devin Booker scored 46 points and Chris Paul added 14 points and 13 assists for the Suns.

Phoenix led 69-57 at halftime behind 16 points from Booker. The Suns shot 52.2% from the field before the break. Gilgeous-Alexander, a Hamilton, Ont., native, had 21 points in the first half to keep the Thunder in it.

Gilgeous-Alexander stole the ball in the closing seconds of the third quarter and scored a layup while being fouled with 0.4 seconds remaining. He made the free throw to cut Phoenix’s lead to 96-90 at the end of the period.

Phoenix went up 100-90 before the Thunder went on an 18-2 run. Oklahoma City tied the game at 100 on a layup by Aaron Wiggins with a little over seven minutes remaining.

Oklahoma City took a 103-102 lead about 40 seconds later on a 3-pointer by Dort, a Montreal native, and the Thunder pushed the lead out to 108-102 before Phoenix called timeout. The Thunder held off a late surge in the final minute.

TIP-INS

Suns: F Kevin Durant remained out with a sprained left ankle. … C Deandre Ayton sat out with a bruised right hip. … C Bismack Biyombo was issued a technical foul in the first quarter.

Thunder: C Dario Saric scored four points against the Suns, the team he was traded from earlier this season. Suns F Darius Bazley, who moved from Oklahoma City in the Saric deal, scored three points in seven minutes. He was cheered when he entered the game as a reserve in the second quarter. … G Josh Giddey was given a technical in the second quarter.

UP NEXT

Suns: Visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

Thunder: Visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.

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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: twitter.com/CliffBruntAP

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More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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