SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER

Jalen Williams scored 23 points and Oklahoma City rallied after allowing Dallas’ NBA-record 30-0 run in the fourth quarter to beat the Mavericks 126-120.

There are a few surprises who have played their way into the early season MVP conversations, joining the list usual list of NBA stars that includes Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid.

Nikola Jokic had 28 points and 14 rebounds to help the Denver Nuggets roll past the Oklahoma City Thunder 128-95.

Playing and coaching in the Basketball World Cup this summer seems as though it helped plenty of people get ready for the NBA season.

The U.S. played the bronze-medal game short-handed, and Canada sent the Americans home from the World Cup empty-handed.

No Nikola Jokic, no problem.

Luka Doncic argued with the referees all night.

The opponent names will become more recognizable for USA Basketball now.

The Basketball World Cup started Friday and Canada sent a message.

Basketball's World Cup finally gets underway on Friday.

Sacramento assistant Jordi Fernandez is taking over for Nick Nurse as coach of the Canadian men’s basketball team that will compete at this summer’s World Cup, a person with knowledge of the decision said Tuesday.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead Minnesota into the playoffs.

Chicago played at Miami and Oklahoma City was in Minnesota to open this NBA season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander highlighted his 32-point night with a go-ahead baseline jumper and four clutch free throws in the final 29 seconds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 123-118 to remain alive in the Western Conference play-in tourament.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is doing his best to fasttrack the re-building schedule for the Oklahoma City Thunder after the NBA franchise lost Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Chris Paul to trades in the past seven years.

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George got hurt in the fourth quarter of the team's 101-100 loss to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The 72nd NBA All-Star Game takes place Sunday night in Salt Lake City.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled past the Houston Rockets 133-96.

Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Portland’s Damian Lillard had to have known they were going to the All-Star Game.

Jimmy Butler’s three-point play with 12.9 seconds left capped an NBA-record performance by the Miami Heat and gave them a 112-111 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

Joel Embid had 16 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his fifth career triple-double and the Philadelphia 76ers never trailed in beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-96 on Saturday night.

The NBA went into Christmas with a night like none other.

Jalen Green had 28 points and a career-high nine assists, Alperen Sengun added 21 points, a career-best 18 rebounds and seven assists, and the Houston Rockets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-105.

Brook Lopez scored 25 points and the Milwaukee Bucks extended their season-opening winning streak to a franchise-record nine games with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the bench, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-94.

Devin Booker had 25 points, 12 assists and a career-high six steals to help the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 124-104 on Thursday night.

Devonte Graham’s 61-foot heave at the buzzer lifted the New Orleans Pelicans to a 113-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jae’Sean Tate scored a career-high 32 points and added 10 rebounds, seven assists and five blocked shots, sparking a fourth-quarter rally to lead the short-handed Houston Rockets to a 114-110 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Christian Wood had 24 points and a career-high 21 rebounds as the Houston Rockets won their third straight game with a 102-89 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Lu Dort scored 34 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Houston Rockets 101-89 on Wednesday night.

Christian Wood had 31 points and 14 rebounds and Houston beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 124-91 on Friday night in the Rockets’ home opener.

The Celtics have traded point guard Kemba Walker to Oklahoma City for forward Al Horford.

Phoenix’s Deandre Ayton had Guy Fieri leaping out of his courtside seat.

Virtually all of Canada’s top NBA players, excluding those who are injured, have accepted invitations to attend training camp next month in advance of that country’s last chance to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

Stephen Curry scored 25 of his 42 points in the third quarter and the Golden State Warriors ran away from the Oklahoma City Thunder 147-109.

(AP Photo/Michael Wyke)HOUSTON – Mired in a long losing streak, the Houston Rockets twice put the ball in John Wall's hands in the waning moments. The Rockets lost their team-record 20th straight game, falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder 114-112 Sunday when Wall missed two shots in the final 10 seconds. This one hurts.”Dort scored 23 points and Isaiah Roby had 18 for the Thunder, who led by as many as 13 points. They shot a sizzling 14 of 21 on 3s in the second quarter, however, and Oklahoma City led 66-62 at halftime. The Rockets hit a franchise-record 28 3s in a win against the Thunder on Feb. 1, just three days before their last win.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) takes the ball from Oklahoma City Thunder forward Darius Bazley (7) during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)LOS ANGELES – LeBron James hit the tying 3-pointer late in regulation and then broke up the Thunder's final possession in overtime to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to their sixth consecutive victory, 114-113 over Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. James had 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the defending NBA champions, who survived their third consecutive overtime game. OVERTIME FEATSThe Lakers became the seventh team in NBA history to win three consecutive overtime games. AdLos Angeles hadn't played three straight overtime games since 1991.

(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)(AP) – Kenrich Williams scored 19 points Wednesday night, and the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back from a 30-point loss to Houston two days earlier and beat the Rockets 104-87. The Rockets scored a season high for points on Monday and a season low on Wednesday. Eric Gordon scored 22 points and Victor Oladipo added 19 for the Rockets, whose win streak ended at six games. Rockets guard John Wall and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed Wednesday’s rematch. Thunder: Oklahoma City announced Tuesday that starting point guard George Hill would miss at least four weeks with a thumb injury.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Theo Maledon (11) defends against Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)LOS ANGELES – Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points and the Los Angeles Clippers beat Oklahoma City 108-101 on Sunday for their seventh consecutive victory and second straight over the Thunder. Serge Ibaka added 17 points. At 13-4, the Clippers are tied with the Lakers for the best record in the NBA. Oklahoma City has lost three in a row and five of six.

He was eager to meet his new teammates, join the starting lineup and make his Pacers debut. LeVert spent his first 4 1/2 seasons with the Nets after the Pacers selected him in the first round of the 2016 NBA draft. Though teams conduct physicals at the start of each season, LeVert wasn't sure if the Nets ever scanned his lower back. That changed when he joined the Pacers, who came up with a diagnosis LeVert never expected. And until LeVert does return, first-year coach Nate Bjorkgren will be dealing with a short-handed roster.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots between Chicago Bulls guard Garrett Temple (17) and forward Lauri Markkanen during overtime of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)OKLAHOMA CITY – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 33 points and dropped 10 assists to help Oklahoma City beat the Chicago Bulls and former Thunder coach Billy Donovan 127-125 in overtime Friday night. Donovan knew all too well how good Oklahoma City can be under challenging circumstances. ... Oklahoma City scored 19 points off Chicago's nine turnovers in the third quarter. ... Oklahoma City shot 56% in the third quarter and outscored the Bulls 37-27.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, moves around Oklahoma City Thunder forward Isaiah Roby (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)OKLAHOMA CITY – LeBron James scored 26 points and the Los Angeles Lakers routed the Oklahoma City Thunder 128-99 on Wednesday night for their franchise-record seventh straight road victory to start the season. The Lakers led by 24 in the second quarter before the Thunder cut it to 58-46 at halftime. James scored 15 points in the half. James made 4 of 6 shots and scored 11 points in the third quarter to help the Lakers take a 93-71 lead.

The Lakers, who beat Miami to win the championship Oct. 11, start the new season against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. Also on Wednesday, Chicago beat Oklahoma City 124-103, and Portland played at Denver. BULLS 124, THUNDER 103At Oklahoma City, the Bulls took control in the second quarter and didn’t let up. LaVine scored 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting in the first quarter while Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 for Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City couldn’t get into a flow, but part of that was because first-year coach Mark Daigneault gave minutes to 13 players.

Paul gave the Thunder at least one more game at Disney, scoring 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter for a 104-100 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday night in Game 6 of a Western Conference first-round series. In a game that was close all the way neither team led by double digits the Thunder bounced back from a blowout in Game 5. But they combined for 12 of the Rockets' 22 turnovers, saying Houston has lost the close games more than Oklahoma City won them. Houston got its most dominant playoff victory in Game 5, winning 114-80 after holding Oklahoma City to 31.5% shooting. Oklahoma City extended it to eight, but Houston wiped that out with an 18-4 run that provided a 98-92 lead.

Oklahoma City Thunder's Dennis Schroder (17) is forced to pass the ball as Houston Rockets' Russell Westbrook, bottom center, Jeff Green (32) and P.J. Paul gave the Thunder at least one more game at Disney, scoring 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter for a 104-100 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday night in Game 6 of a Western Conference first-round series. But they combined for 12 of the Rockets' 22 turnovers, saying Houston has lost the close games more than Oklahoma City won them. Houston got its most dominant playoff victory in Game 5, winning 114-80 after holding Oklahoma City to 31.5% shooting. Oklahoma City extended it to eight, but Houston wiped that out with an 18-4 run that provided a 98-92 lead.

Eric Gordon scored 23 points and Danuel House added 21 for the Rockets, who won the first two games of the series. The Thunder shot 47.8% and the Rockets 47.7% before the break. The Rockets led 93-80 before Schroder made a 3-pointer and Houston's Austin Rivers was called for a foul away from the shot. Schroder hot a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer, and the Oklahoma City climbed within 93-92 at the end of the third. Thunder: Shot 61% in the first quarter.