{"id":9146,"date":"2026-03-18T14:47:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T09:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/nba-roundup-shai-gilgeous-alexander-nets-40-as-thunder-clinch-playoff-spot\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T14:47:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T09:47:13","slug":"nba-roundup-shai-gilgeous-alexander-nets-40-as-thunder-clinch-playoff-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/nba-roundup-shai-gilgeous-alexander-nets-40-as-thunder-clinch-playoff-spot\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA roundup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nets 40 as Thunder clinch playoff spot"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<section id=\"0\" class=\"w-full\">\n<div class=\"xl:container mx-0 !px-4 py-0 pb-4 !mx-0 !px-0\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.deadspin.com\/tr:w-900\/28524284.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.deadspin.com\/tr:w-900\/28524284.jpg\" alt=\"NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Orlando Magic\" class=\"w-full\" fetchpriority=\"high\" loading=\"eager\"\/><span class=\"text-0.8 leading-tight\">Mar 17, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) reacts after making a basket against the Orlando Magic in the fourth quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images<!-- --> <!-- --> <\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-1\">\n<p>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points to lead the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder to a 113-108 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-2\">\n<p>The Thunder clinched their third consecutive playoff appearance with the victory, becoming the first team this season to do so.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-3\">\n<p>Chet Holmgren added 20 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Thunder, while Ajay Mitchell was the only other Oklahoma City player in double figures with 16.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-4\">\n<p>All five Orlando starters finished in double figures, led by Paolo Banchero, who scored 32 points and added a team-best 10 rebounds. Desmond Bane added 16 points.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-5\">\n<p>The Magic have dropped back-to-back games after winning seven straight.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-6\">\n<p>Knicks 136, Pacers 110<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-7\">\n<p>Josh Hart had one of the most prolific games of his career, when he scored 33 points to lead surging New York to a win over visiting Indiana.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-8\">\n<p>Hart was 12 of 13 from the field, including 5 of 5 from 3-point land. The 33 points were the second most of Hart&#8217;s nine-year career. Hart, who sat out the fourth quarter, added seven rebounds and five assists as the Knicks extended their winning streak to four games. Karl-Anthony Towns (22 points, 11 rebounds) and Jose Alvarado (16 points, 10 assists) each posted double-doubles for the Knicks.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-9\">\n<p>T.J. McConnell (10 points, 10 assists) recorded a double-double while Jarace Walker scored a team-high 16 points for the Pacers, who suffered their franchise-record 14th straight loss. Indiana, which is in last place in the Eastern Conference, also had a 13-game skid earlier this year.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-10\">\n<p>Nuggets 124, 76ers 96<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-11\">\n<p>Christian Braun had 22 points, Cameron Johnson scored 18 and host Denver used a big first half to rout short-handed Philadelphia.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-12\">\n<p>Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray and Bruce Brown finished with 12 points each and Nikola Jokic had 14 assists for the Nuggets, who never trailed and led 72-40 at halftime.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-13\">\n<p>MarJon Beauchamp scored 16 points to top the 76ers, whose two-game win streak ended. Philadelphia was without Joel Embiid (oblique), Kelly Oubre Jr. (elbow) and Tyrese Maxey (finger).<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-14\">\n<p>Spurs 132, Kings 104<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-15\">\n<p>Victor Wembanyama scored 18 points in just 22 minutes, Keldon Johnson came off the bench for an additional 18 and San Antonio wasted no time distancing themselves from host Sacramento.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-16\">\n<p>Stephon Castle finished with a game-high 12 assists and Luke Kornet a game-high 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who used a 19th win in their last 21 games to remain three games back of the Oklahoma City Thunder atop the Western Conference standings. Former Kings Harrison Barnes (16) and De&#8217;Aaron Fox (15) combined for 31 points as San Antonio swept the three-game season series.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/p>\n<section id=\"section-17\">\n<p>Maxime Raynaud exploded for a season-best 32 points to go with a team-high nine rebounds for the Kings, who had won four of their last five. The rookie made 13 of his 25 shots.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-18\">\n<p>Timberwolves 116, Suns 104<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-19\">\n<p>Julius Randle scored 32 points on 10-for-17 shooting and Minnesota pulled away for a win over Phoenix in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-20\">\n<p>Bones Hyland added 22 points off the bench for Minnesota, which bounced back from a 13-point road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in its previous game. Ayo Dosunmu finished with 19 points, and Jaden McDaniels contributed 16.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-21\">\n<p>Devin Booker scored 34 points in 35 minutes to lead Phoenix, which dropped its third game in a row. Oso Ighodaro tallied 16 points and Collin Gillespie scored 12 despite missing nine of his 13 shots from the field.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-22\">\n<p>Hornets 136, Heat 106<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-23\">\n<p>LaMelo Ball pumped in 30 points and distributed 13 assists as Charlotte opened a seven-game homestand with a victory against Miami.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-24\">\n<p>Coby White&#8217;s 24 points and Kon Kneuppel&#8217;s 22 points also boosted Charlotte (35-34), which was coming off a 2-2 road trip. Brandon Miller had 16 points and Miles Bridges added 14 points.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-25\">\n<p>Tyler Herro led the Heat with 20 points while Norman Powell had 17 points, Keshad Johnson supplied 15 points, Pelle Larsson notched 14 points and Simone Fontecchio ended up with 10 points. Miami (38-31) has lost two in a row since its seven-game winning streak.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-26\">\n<p>Pistons 130, Wizards 117<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-27\">\n<p>Jalen Duren scored a career-high 36 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as visiting Detroit overcame an early exit by star Cade Cunningham to defeat Washington.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-28\">\n<p>Daniss Jenkins scored 15 points, Tobias Harris added 12 and Ronald Holland II had 11 for Detroit, which handed Washington its 13th straight loss. Cunningham exited the game midway through the opening quarter due to back spasms and did not return.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-29\">\n<p>Bub Carrington scored 21 of his season-high 30 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Wizards. Carrington shot 12-for-16 from the field and matched his season high with six 3-pointers.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-30\">\n<p>Cavaliers 123, Bucks 116<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-31\">\n<p>Evan Mobley scored 27 points and grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds, and James Harden had 27 points and six assists as Cleveland took control in the final seven minutes to win at Milwaukee.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-32\">\n<p>The Cavaliers scored eight straight points in a 70-second span midway through the final period to seize a 108-100 lead, then powered home for their 11th win in 15 games with Harden in the lineup.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"section-33\">\n<p>Kevin Porter Jr. had 25 points and 10 assists, and Bobby Portis Jr., Ousmane Dieng and Ryan Rollins scored 19 points apiece for the Bucks, who fell to 2-9 since Feb. 27.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/p>\n<section id=\"section-34\">\n<p>&#8211;Field Level Media<\/p>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/deadspin.com\/nba-roundup-shai-gilgeous-alexander-nets-40-as-thunder-clinch-playoff-spot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mar 17, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) reacts after making a basket against the Orlando Magic in the fourth quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points to lead the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder to a 113-108 win over the Orlando Magic [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}