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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander marked his return from injury with 36 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 127-121 in overtime.<\/b><\/p>\n
The NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player had been out of action since sustaining an abdominal strain on 3 February and missed nine games.<\/p>\n
He played 34 minutes on his return, but remained on the bench in overtime as Alex Caruso guided the Thunder to their sixth win from their past eight games.<\/p>\n
“Felt good,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “I’m just thankful to be back.” <\/p>\n
The 27-year-old was in the action from the start, opening his account with a layup before being called for an early technical foul for throwing the ball at Denver’s Nikola Jokic, who made contact with him after play had stopped.<\/p>\n
Thunder forward Luguentz Dort was later ejected for a flagrant foul after he tripped Jokic, sparking a shoving match after which Jokic and Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams receive technical fouls.<\/p>\n
Caruso drove to the basket in the final seconds of regulation, but his shot bounced off the rim at the buzzer to send the game to extra time.<\/p>\n
However, the Thunder scored the first five points in overtime and hung on for the win to maintain their two-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs at the top of the Western Conference.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n