OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (AP) — Jalen Williams scored 31 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 29 and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 106-88 on Wednesday night.
The victory was the second straight for the Thunder without Chet Holmgren. Oklahoma City was coming off a 134-128 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
Lou Dort scored 11 points and Aaron Wiggins added 10 for Oklahoma City (10-2), which broke a 59-all tie with a 16-0 run in the third quarter for a 75-59 advantage.
Williams shot 10 for 18, including 4 for 7 from long distance and had seven assists. Gilgeous-Alexander made 12 of 25 shots and the Thunder converted 15 of 39 shots from 3-point range.
Brandon Ingram scored 18 points, Trey Murphy added 14 and Yves Missi had 10 points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans (3-9), which outrebounded Oklahoma City 58-31, but was slowed by 24 turnovers. The Pelicans played without Jose Alvarado, Herb Jones, CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray and Zion Williamson, who were all reported as injured.
with a pelvic fracture after a hard fall during . The 7-foot-1 forward/center had been one of the league’s most efficient scorers and top shot blockers.
Key moment
Oklahoma City trailed 16-6 early, but closed out the first quarter on a 24-8 run for a 33-28 lead. Gilgeous-Alexander had nine points and Kenrich Williams contributed five off the bench in six minutes, including a 3-pointer.
Key stat
Oklahoma City played a guard-heavy lineup for the second straight game since losing Holmgren and committed just seven turnovers, two days after turning the ball over only 11 times in a win over the Clippers
Up next
The Pelicans host Denver on Friday, while the Thunder host Phoenix, also on Friday.
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AP NBA:
Tim Willert, The Associated Press