Gilgeous-Alexander scores 30 points as Thunder beat Raptors 129-92 for sixth win in seven games
TORONTO– Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points, Jalen Williams had 20 and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Toronto Raptors 129-92 on Thursday night for their sixth win in seven games.
Isaiah Joe scored 16 points and Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed 16 rebounds as the Western Conference-leading Thunder improved to 8-3 on the road.
The Thunder had nine blocks and nine steals in the first half and finished with 11 blocks and 14 steals.
RJ Barrett had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Scottie Barnes added 12 points and 12 rebounds, but the Raptors lost by their largest margin this season, eclipsing a 30-point loss to Cleveland on opening night.
Toronto shot 11 of 45 from 3-point range (24.4%), its lowest percentage of the season.
Raptors center Jakob Poeltl missed the game due to illness, but Gradey Dick returned after missing five games with left calf soreness and scored 15.
Barnes made a 3 for the game’s first basket, but Joe responded with back-to-back goals and the Thunder never trailed again.
Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander shot 11 of 22 but made just 1 of 10 from 3-point range.
Raptors: Barrett came in having scored 20 or more in his last four games, and 25 or more in four straight home games, but couldn’t extend either streak. He shot 5 of 16, scoring 11 points in the fourth after the game was out of reach.
The Thunder connected on its first four 3-point attempts in the second, turning a 17-point advantage into a 26-point lead before the middle of the quarter.
The Raptors missed 16 of their first 20 field goal attempts and 20 of their first 25. Toronto shot 6 of 26 in the first quarter and trailed 34-17 after one.
The two teams will play again on Saturday night, when Oklahoma City travels to New Orleans and Toronto hosts Dallas.
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