Thunder Blow Out Nuggets, Knicks Rally Past Celtics

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 34 points to power the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 149-106 demolition of the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series Wednesday at Paycom Center.

With the win, the Thunder tied the best-of-seven series at 1-1 ahead of Game 3 in Denver on Friday.

Oklahoma City’s 149-point output set a new franchise record for most points in a playoff game and tied the NBA postseason record for points in a half with 87.

The last team to post that number in one half was the Milwaukee Bucks in 1978, also against Denver.

The Thunder erupted for 45 points in the opening quarter and led by as many as 35 at halftime, removing any doubt early after their last-second loss in Game 1.

Oklahoma City’s lead ballooned to 48 entering the fourth quarter as the defending champion Nuggets struggled on both ends.

Denver’s star center Nikola Jokic, who dominated with 42 points and 22 rebounds in Game 1, fouled out late in the third quarter after being whistled for two offensive fouls in less than a minute.

He finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and six turnovers on 6-of-16 shooting.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the MVP frontrunner, was near-flawless, going 11-of-13 from the field and 11-of-11 from the free-throw line while adding eight assists and a plus-51 rating.

“I’m just trying to set the tone for my team and keep doing what it takes to win,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters postgame.

Chet Holmgren bounced back from his late free-throw misses in Game 1 with a double-double: 15 points, 11 rebounds, and a perfect 7-of-7 from the line.

Jalen Williams added 17 points as the Thunder bench closed out the final frame.

Russell Westbrook led Denver with 19 points, while Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon struggled, combining for just 24 points on poor shooting.

Knicks stun Celtics again to take 2-0 series lead

In Boston, the New York Knicks pulled off another dramatic comeback to edge the Boston Celtics, 91-90, and seize a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

After coming back from 20 down in Game 1’s overtime thriller, the Knicks once again rallied from a 20-point deficit, capped by late-game heroics from Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges.

Brunson’s fadeaway jumper gave the Knicks their first lead at 87-86 with 1:59 remaining.

After Jayson Tatum dunked to momentarily reclaim the lead for Boston, Brunson calmly sank two free throws to secure the win.

“I’m just happy we found a way to win,” Brunson told TNT. “That’s some wild stuff right there.”

Bridges, who was scoreless through three quarters, exploded for 14 fourth-quarter points and came up with a game-sealing steal on Tatum’s potential game-winner — his second straight game with a clutch takeaway.

Josh Hart paced New York with 23 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and 17 rebounds.

Boston, which squandered a 73-53 lead late in the third, faltered down the stretch, missing 14 straight field goals in the fourth quarter.

Jaylen Brown and Derrick White scored 20 each, but the Celtics failed to close again despite holding control most of the night.

“We can get back into this thing, no question,” Brown said. “If I had to select any guys that can get it done, it’s the group that we have in our locker room.”

Game 3 is set in New York on Saturday as the Knicks look to continue their surprising run against the reigning champions.