NBA Northwest

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was unstoppable on Thursday night.

Gilgeous-Alexander helped lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a lopsided 134-114 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

What a game 😄 pic.twitter.com/LLyVU7thU5

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 17, 2025

He finished with a game-high 40 points in just 29 minutes on the floor, shooting 17-26 from the field and connecting on all five of his free-throw attempts. Gilgeous-Alexander also racked up eight assists, three rebounds and two steals.

SGA is COOKING the Cavs 😤👀

Had 26 PTS, 4 AST, 2 STL in the 1H pic.twitter.com/8xC7weVeik

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 17, 2025

Oklahoma City took an early 10-point lead in the first quarter and didn't look back, holding a 75-49 advantage at halftime.

Jalen Williams also wrapped up an efficient performance, scoring 19 points while shooting 57.1 percent from the field. He pulled down six rebounds and dished out five assists of his own.

75 PTS IN THE FIRST HALF!!

Jalen Williams sends OKC to the break with their 11th 3PM in the first 24 minutes 🎯 pic.twitter.com/5ZFXlxFBxb

— NBA (@NBA) January 17, 2025

Thursday's result was a statement victory for the Thunder, as they previously suffered a narrow 129-122 loss to the Cavaliers on Jan. 8.

Fans were amazed by Gilgeous-Alexander's heroics, calling for him to earn even more MVP consideration.

SGA COOKED the Cavs and it only took 3 quarters 😳

40 PTS
8 AST
2 STL
Thunder win 134-114

MVP? 🏆👀 pic.twitter.com/rIUuraMJ1X

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 17, 2025

The Thunder don't have either big - Chet or Hartenstein - yet against the Mobley-Allen Cavs THEY'RE UP 75-49 AT HALF! OKC IS GOING TO WIN THE WEST. SGA MVP.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 17, 2025

SGA just outscored the Cavs in the first quarter pic.twitter.com/TXwbHPpLme

— Real Sports (@realapp_) January 17, 2025

Look man, Jokic is incredible but this year’s MVP is pretty easily SGA.

— 𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙖𝙖 (@arkaavs) January 17, 2025

Shai is the MVP right now and it's not very close.

He is on pace to play every game for a 70-win team without their second-best player, while he averages 31.5/5.5/6 on 64% TS with 3.1 stocks and they're 15.5 pts per 100 better with him.

One of the best guard seasons ever.

— Carson Breber (@Carsobi) January 17, 2025

Shai could’ve had 50 twice in the past week had he not sat out the whole 4th quarter in both games.

— Thunder Film Room (@ThunderFilmRoom) January 17, 2025

Shai is one of a kind man. I get Mamba flashbacks I can’t lie. Middy game nasty.

— PeeWeeDaPlug (@PeeWeeDaPlug) January 17, 2025

I mean…

SGA.

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) January 17, 2025

For the Cavaliers, Darius Garland led the way with 20 points and nine assists.

Donovan Mitchell struggled offensively, hitting just three of his 15 field-goal attempts and scoring eight points.

Cleveland dealt with ball security issues against the NBA's top-rated defense, committing 21 turnovers despite racking up 32 assists.

Following Thursday's clash, the Thunder and Cavaliers now own identical 34-6 records.

The Minnesota Timberwolves' inconsistencies this season have worn on star shooting guard Anthony Edwards, and he didn't hold back his frustrations after Wednesday night's 116-115 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

"The starting five, we are terrible," Edwards told reporters. "Every game we come out low energy and the second group comes in and gives us energy. I would say the starting group gotta come out with more energy like we want to play the game of basketball, like we love the game."

To Edwards' point, Minnesota's current starting lineup of him, Donte DiVincenzo, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert has an offensive rating of 109.9, which is actually lower than the 111.1 offensive rating before DiVincenzo replaced Mike Conley as a starter. Comparatively, a lineup featuring the team's top two bench players Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker alongside Edwards, Randle and DiVincenzo has an offensive rating of 125.6.

Against the Warriors, the Timberwolves trailed 34-12 after the first quarter and faced a deficit as high as 24 points before fighting back to make things interesting in the closing moments. However, Minnesota never took the lead as Golden State star point guard Stephen Curry had a game-high 31 points and hit a pair of dagger three-pointers in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Edwards did his best to keep up, dropping 28 points and eight rebounds. DiVincenzo also had 28 points and nine assists in one of his best performances of the season. However, no other player on the team scored over 20 points.

At 21-19, the Timberwolves rank eighth in the Western Conference. They will need to find consistency over the second half of the season if they hope to make another deep playoff run.

Minnesota will return to action on Friday in a road matchup against the New York Knicks (27-15).

The Philadelphia 76ers were without Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, Caleb Martin, Andre Drummond and Kyle Lowry for Tuesday night's matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder (and also rookie standout Jared McCain, who is out for the season with a lateral meniscus tear).

The team's starting lineup—consisting of Reggie Jackson, Eric Gordon, Kelly Oubre Jr, Ricky Council IV and Guerschon Yabusele—combined to average 38.6 points per game this season coming into the night. Council and Jackson were each making their first starts of the 2024-25 campaign. Pete Nance, signed to another two-way deal earlier on Tuesday, was making just his second appearance of the season.

So yes, the Thunder—currently the top team in the Western Conference by a comfortable margin—won easily on Tuesday, blowing out the depleted Sixers, 118-102.

Steal & lay to start the 2nd half...

9/9 from the field.

Shai is LOCKED IN. 🔒 https://t.co/yWt9hoQSti pic.twitter.com/LQstOqqdAl

— NBA (@NBA) January 15, 2025

And no, MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't receive much resistance, finishing the contest with 32 points, nine assists and two steals. It was an incredibly efficient performance, as he shot 12-of-15 from the field.

So while those numbers came against what is essentially the Sixers' reserve unit, NBA fans were still impressed by the showing:

Shai really ole reliable pic.twitter.com/6DvhU66mdR

— Malcom (@Rod_Winning) January 15, 2025

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has his 23rd 30 point game of the season.

SGA is #1 in the NBA in 30 point games. Giannis is #2 with 20.

— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) January 15, 2025

Man give shai the MVP already

— Paul Byrd (@P_Frank_00) January 15, 2025

Shai so good man

— basketball enjoyer (@moneysnipershai) January 15, 2025

Yea Shai clearly da mvp lmao

— Raqi 🇵🇸 (@ih8raqi) January 15, 2025

you just can’t guard shai

— mr. smoooth ✞ (@Zidanie_) January 15, 2025

shai is the MVP idc

— karank._ (@officialKaranK) January 15, 2025

https://twitter.com/HowellToMetcalf/status/1879350276123242670

The Thunder (33-6) may have been favored even if the Sixers (15-23) were at full health, and Shai's performance has become something of the norm for the superstar guard.

In that regard, the biggest storyline from the game may have actually been the performance of Philly's Justin Edwards (25 points, six rebounds) and Jeff Dowtin Jr. (18 points, five rebounds), a pair of players who non-Philly fans definitely knew were in the NBA.

To put Edwards' performance into further perspective, the rookie came into the night with 31 total points in his career.

None of that is much consolation for the Sixers during yet another loss in what has been an extremely disappointing, injury-ravaged season. But it at least made an otherwise throwaway game against a superior opponent mildly entertaining, and that's something.

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was fined $50,000 by the NBA on Monday for making an obscene gesture in the direction of a referee, according to insider Chris Haynes.

The incident occurred during the Timberwolves' 127-125 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

Edwards has been given fines for similar issues throughout the start of the 2024-25 season, as he previously received a $35,000 fine for making an obscene gesture to the crowd in a win over the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 15.

The 23-year-old hasn't been shy regarding his thoughts on some referees in the past, as he was fined $75,000 for "public criticism of the officiating and using inappropriate and profane language" on Dec. 23.

Edwards also received separate fines of $100,000 and $25,000 for using profane language in interviews after games this season.

Inconsistency has defined the start of the Timberwolves' 2024-25 season, as they sit at No. 8 in the Western Conference standings with a 20-18 record. It's a disappointing early result after they won 56 games and made an appearance in the conference finals last year.

Edwards' scoring averaged has dipped slightly compared to his 2023-24 campaign, but he's remained effective by becoming a larger threat from behind the arc. In 38 starts, he's averaging 25.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and a career-high 42.1 percent from three-point territory.

Edwards has already picked up nine technical fouls, the most in the association. Meanwhile, he is averaging 4.3 free-throw attempts per game, his lowest mark since the 2021-22 season.

His shot selection may also be contributing to his relatively low free-throw shooting, though. Edwards' average shot distance of 16.9 feet away from the basket is the longest of his career, as he's attempting 9.9 threes per game (via Basketball Reference).

53 POINTS. (career high)
10 THREES.

Anthony Edwards left it all on the floor in Detroit 🔥 pic.twitter.com/bx5uADak31

— NBA (@NBA) January 5, 2025

His latest act of frustration once again cost him some money.

In addition to helping the Denver Nuggets secure their sixth win in the past eight games on Friday night, Nikola Jokić and Russell Westbrook made history against the Brooklyn Nets.

The Nuggets duo became the first pair of teammates to record triple-doubles in the same game multiple times in the same season in the 124-105 victory.

TRIPLE-DOUBLE MACHINES 👊👊

🔋 Jokić: 35p, 15a, 12r
🔋 Russ: 25p, 10a, 11r

They are the first pair of teammates in NBA history to both record a triple-double in the same game MULTIPLE TIMES in a single season 🤯 pic.twitter.com/oAJg8IB8Ul

— NBA (@NBA) January 11, 2025

Jokić had 35 points on 14-of-21 shooting, 15 assists and 12 rebounds in 38 minutes. Westbrook finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in 36 minutes.

Aaron Gordon's injury led to Nuggets head coach Michael Malone moving Westbrook into the starting lineup on Dec. 27. The former NBA MVP started seven times in the first 28 games.

In nine games since Westbrook joined the starting five, the Nuggets are 7-2. This stretch does coincide with an easier part of the schedule, with their wins over the Nets, Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers.

The two best teams that Denver has played during this run were losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics by a combined 26 points.

Westbrook is doing his part in these games, averaging 15.4 points on 53.5 percent shooting, 8.2 assists and 7.4 rebounds. He has recorded three triple-doubles so far this season.

Jokić remains an unstoppable machine with 15 triple-doubles in 32 starts. He is right on the edge of averaging a triple-double for the season with 31.6 points, 13.0 rebounds and 9.9 assists per game.

There were questions during the offseason about Westbrook's fit with the Nuggets when he was rumored to be joining the team. He has acclimated nicely to playing with a strong central force like Jokić thus far.

The Nuggets have climbed up to fourth in the Western Conference standings with a 22-15 record. They are within three games of the Houston Rockets for the No. 2 seed, with those two teams set to meet for the first time this season on Jan. 15 in Denver.

NBA fans might have gotten an early look at this year's Finals on Wednesday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 129-122 in one of the most exciting games of the season thus far. Heading into the contest, there had never been a team on a 15-game win streak face off against a team on a 10-game winning run. Ultimately, it was Cleveland that kept its sequence going as it made it 11 in a row.

The game was highlighted by a plethora of lead changes, but Cleveland had the edge heading down the stretch. But the Thunder got right back into the game, cutting the Cavs' lead to just two points with a minute and a half to play.

Cleveland, feeding off a rowdy home crowd, held strong on defense, though, while also getting the shots it needed on the offensive end to escape with the win.

It was a slow night for Cavs star Donovan Mitchell, who had just 11 points, but Cleveland's frontcourt stepped up as Jarrett Allen had 25 points, 12 boards and six assists while Evan Mobley had 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a big night with 31 points, but it wasn't enough to carry his team past the Cavs.

https://twitter.com/GB_Delayed_Draw/status/1877170431653794119

That’s right.

26 lead changes. pic.twitter.com/6UpzqGO77k

— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 9, 2025

This is real ball right now. Cavs Thunder is cooking.

— Terence Fluellen (@FLU_2Cold) January 9, 2025

Cavs/Thunder game is everything I expected it to be

— 🥒Rick (@GrimReapGodSon) January 9, 2025

Cavs v Thunder 🔥

— fRaNkiE_jR. (@kofi_shinto) January 9, 2025

I wouldn’t even be mad at a Cavs-Thunder Finals

— . (@Wallabeees) January 9, 2025

28 lead changes and 7 ties in the Cavs vs Thunder game. These are the two best teams in the association currently

— Jahmeir D. ✭ (@JDCowboys2) January 9, 2025

Have the Cavs and Thunder been more than like 8 points apart this entire game? This game rocks.

— Henry Ettinger (@hedging_henry) January 9, 2025

Cavs Thunder rn is real hoops

— Irrelevant Legend (@juckshot_4) January 9, 2025

Cavs-Thunder is probably better than any NFL regular season game this year

— Shlomo Sprung (@SprungOnSports) January 9, 2025

This Thunder-Cavs game is BOX OFFICE. Looks like a Finals preview.

— Josh Rosen (@Joshimpressions) January 9, 2025

The Cavaliers now hold the best record in the NBA at 31-4 and have all the makings of a Finals team. While the Thunder dropped to 30-5 with the loss, they're still in the driver's seat in the Western Conference.

Cleveland and Oklahoma City will meet again in just over a week, and the second contest should be just as enthralling as the first.

Two straight wins from the Utah Jazz wasn't the only thing Walker Kessler had to celebrate this weekend.

Kessler watched with Jazz coach Will Hardy on Sunday as Kessler's girlfriend Abbie Stockard was crowned Miss America 2025.

The Jazz center shared his reaction in a video posted to his Instagram.

Walker Kessler watching his girlfriend Abbie Stockard win Miss America while at dinner with Will Hardy is unbelievable content.

(🎥 Kessler’s IG)#TakeNote | @utahjazz pic.twitter.com/1J8ZssN2iE

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) January 7, 2025

"Congratulations Abbie! I am so proud of you and everything you stand for," Kessler wrote in the post's caption.

Stockard earned the honor after being named Miss Alabama in 2024. She is a nursing student and cheerleader at Auburn, where Kessler played one season before entering the 2022 NBA Draft, according to CNN.

Auburn reported last year that Stockard "aims to earn a doctorate in nurse anesthesia practice and become a pediatric nurse anesthetist."

Kessler celebrated a win of his own the same night as he tied a season high with 17 rebounds in a Sunday night win over the Orlando Magic.

He currently ranks second only to San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama for the NBA blocks lead after averaging 2.5 through 28 games.

The brother of Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokić has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge stemming from an incident that occurred at Ball Arena during Game 2 of the Western Conference playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers last season.

Per Janet Oravetz of 9News.com, Strahinja Jokić issued his plea during a court appearance on Monday. He is due in court on March 17 for a motions hearing, and his trial is currently set to begin on April 24.

Oravetz noted the Denver Police said in a probable cause statement that a "viral" video of the incident showed Jokić arguing with another person before hitting that person in the face.

Jokić is charged with one count of misdemeanor assault.

Shelly Bradbury of the Denver Post reported in August that Jokić was issued a protection order requiring him to stay away from the alleged victim.

Per Bradbury, Jokić said that he was defending an older man he knew.

The incident occurred on April 22 when the Nuggets defeated the Lakers 101-99 to take a 2-0 series lead. The altercation wasn't reported the night it occurred. Police only became aware of it when they saw the viral video online the following day.

Strahinja, who had a professional basketball career in Serbia, is one of Nikola Jokić's two older brothers. He moved to the United States with his other siblings when Nikola came to Denver in 2015 to begin his NBA career.

The Nuggets defeated the Lakers in the playoffs for the second straight season. They were eliminated from the postseason in the Western Conference semifinals by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Frustration is mounting for Anthony Edwards amid a mediocre start to the season for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Speaking to reporters after Thursday's 118-115 loss to the Boston Celtics, Edwards called it "super hard" to stay engaged when he's being forced to pass the ball due to all of the double teams he's seeing even though it's the right play to make.

Pretty much the entirety of Anthony Edwards's postgame media was him talking about his frustration with the way teams are putting two on him, taking away his opportunities to be a scorer and forcing him to get off the ball.

"It's not how I want to play, of course. I'm only 23, I… pic.twitter.com/7bJdFS6zeU

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) January 3, 2025

Trading away Karl-Anthony Towns late in the offseason has caused Minnesota's offense to slip this season. They weren't great in 2023-24, ranking 16th in rating and 18th in points per game, but that was good enough since they had the No. 1 defense in rating and points allowed.

Through the first 34 games this season, though, the Wolves rank just 20th in rating and 22nd in points per game. Their defense has also taken a step back to seventh in rating, putting more pressure on the offense to score points.

When Minnesota made the Towns trade with the New York Knicks, the hope was that Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle would be able to make up for his offense. Randle has been fine with 20.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

DiVincenzo has been a huge disappointment with a 35.9 percent success rate from three-point range, compared to 40.0 percent on 7.1 attempts in the previous two seasons.

Another big problem is Mike Conley Jr. is finally starting to show his age. The 37-year-old is shooting a career-low 35.5 percent from the field and is averaging his fewest assists per game (4.4) since the 2019-20 season.

Opposing defenses have figured out they can zero in on Edwards without having to pay too much attention to the Timberwolves' other shooters. He started the season on a torrid pace, averaging 28.0 points on 42.6 percent three-point shooting with 11.2 three-point attempts per game in his first 17 starts.

Since Nov. 27, Edwards has regressed to 20.7 points per game with a 38.5 percent three-point success rate on 8.1 attempts per game in 16 starts. He has six games with fewer than 20 points during this stretch after scoring at least 21 points in each of his first 17 starts.

Edwards had 15 games with at least 20 field-goal attempts in his first 19 starts, but he has hit that total just six times in the last 14 games.

Given the limited scoring options the Timberwolves currently have, head coach Tom Thibodeau and his staff need to find ways to open up the floor for Edwards. The biggest thing that can change to help Edwards and improve the offense is getting DiVincenzo going because it would force other teams to respect another shooter on the floor.

After reaching the conference finals last season, the Timberwolves are currently eighth in the West with a 17-16 record. They haven't been more than three games over .500 at any point this season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves had an opportunity to earn a statement win on Thursday night but the Boston Celtics had other plans.

Boston rode an explosive second quarter to claim a 118-110 victory over the Timberwolves.

JT led the charge in the @celtics' first win of the New Year ☘️ pic.twitter.com/avM2cbMGU3

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 3, 2025

#CelticsWin pic.twitter.com/RXUBFt6TuE

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 3, 2025

Minnesota took a 35-28 lead in the opening quarter but a 34-16 charge from Boston in the second half gave the Celtics a 62-51 halftime lead. The Timberwolves bounced back with a 34-29 advantage in the third quarter but Boston was able to hold on and improve to 25-9 on the season.

Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 33 points while adding nine assists and eight rebounds. Derrick White was next for the Celtics with 26 points while Sam Hauser had 15 and Jrue Holliday had 11.

Julius Randle led Minnesota with 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while Jaden McDaniels had 19 points, eight rebounds and two assists and Naz Reid had 20 points off of the bench.

Star guard Anthony Edwards had a tough night, scoring 15 points with six assists and four rebounds but shooting just 5-of-16 on field goals and 2-of-8 from three-point range. This included a buzzer-beater attempt to tie the game in the final seconds. He was also minus-10 on the court in the close game.

Fans took to social media to express disappointment in Edwards' game and declared that he isn't on the level of a player like Tatum.

To much 3s ant should be averaging 30 he need to stop the curry gimmick

— 💫 (@NewMediaSports_) January 3, 2025

Ant out here missing uncontested lay ups in a 8 point game on the last 2 mins just tells you all you need to know about the status of the NBA currently. The league stock is going down more and more day by day…🫠

— STR8LOCKZ (@STR8LOCKZ) January 3, 2025

Who do I sacrifice for Ant to be good again cuz I can’t do this anymore.

— Amran (@amran2828) January 3, 2025

Ant ain’t even in the same stratosphere as Tatum. Still love him but he isn’t even close lol.

— Title Defense Tour 💀🍀 (@CelticsForevr) January 3, 2025

Tried to tell y’all last May it was too soon for Ant…nobody listened now he’s got unreasonable expectations this season. Here comes his “criticism” era.

— Curt (@CelticsCurt) January 3, 2025

They were putting Ant in SGA/Tatum convos and both of them outscored him by double the amount in back to back games LMAO

— John The Don 🛩 (@_JoJoPicasso) January 3, 2025

Like I said the other day…Ant is a star and people were tryna force him into superstar conversations lol he ain’t that

— wavy man (@KAIDOLLASIGHN) January 3, 2025

Ant’s game looks disgusting now. Just a bunch of pointless crossovers and long 3 pt shots. The aggression is gone #nba

— Hitch 🧙🏽🧙🏽 (@___unclephil) January 3, 2025

https://twitter.com/trueblackstyle/status/1875010212786221317

Ant Man hit that “wall”. Need him to snap out of it before the playoffs.

— K Dot G (@Kd0tG) January 3, 2025

Can you believe people actually thought Ant was better than Tatum in 2024 😭😭😭

— Juu✝️🇬🇭 (@FirstClassJuu_) January 3, 2025

Ant getting owned by Shai, Tatum and now D white in a span of 3 days.
Bro doesn’t walk the talk anymore.
: Tatum the humblest superstar in the league atm. 🏀

— Dhanesh Veerasekar (@DhaneshVeerase1) January 3, 2025

Ant talks too much to have the stats he got tonight #BOSvsMIN

— Mark M. (@ShamSquad11) January 3, 2025

People really said ant is better than Tatum 🤣🤣🤣 #proudfather

— Steven Brown (@StevenBrown2241) January 3, 2025

Minnesota falls to 17-15 on the season with the loss and sit in eighth in the Western Conference. This is disappointing after a Conference Finals berth in 2023-24 and a blockbuster trade in the offseason that saw the team bring in Randle and Donte DiVincenzo for center Karl-Anthony Towns.

Still, the Timberwolves have some time to turn it around and push forward in the West. The next opportunity to earn a key win will be on Saturday when Minnesota faces the Detroit Pistons.