Thunder hold off Orlando's comeback bid, beat the Magic 105-99 behind Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points and Jalen Williams scored six straight points in a run in the fourth quarter that helped turned back an Orlando comeback bid as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Magic 105-99 on Thursday night.

Isaiah Hartenstein had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder. Williams, Aaron Wiggins and Alex Caruso each finished with 11 points.

Anthony Black scored the first nine points in the fourth quarter and matched his career high with 23 points for the Magic.

Goga Bitadze added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Wendell Carter had 10 points and 13 rebounds for Orlando, which lost its third straight and for the fourth time in five games.

Thunder: In their first game following a loss to Milwaukee in the NBA Cup final on Tuesday night, Oklahoma City opened the second quarter with an 18-4 run and held the lead the rest of the way. The Thunder weathered a scoreless stretch of 5 minutes, 51 seconds early in the second half.

Magic: Playing without the scoring power of injured forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, who missed their 24th and fourth straight games, respectively, the Magic continued to search for offense against the best defensive team in the NBA. Orlando committed 20 turnovers.

With Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench and Oklahoma City leading by three early in the fourth quarter, Williams scored six straight points, including a spinning layup and a driving dunk, opening a decisive 14-3 run.

The Thunder entered the game leading the NBA defensively in points per game (103.5), points per 100 possessions (103.7), field-goal percentage (.424), 3-point percentage (.331), free-throw percentage (.737), turnovers (19.08) and steals (12.16). Most of those numbers improved.

The Thunder play their third road game in four nights at Miami on Friday. The Magic host Miami on Saturday night.

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Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) drives around Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner, left, goes after the ball in front of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, right, tries to get to the basket against Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr., right, tries to get to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) looks for an open shot as Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze (35) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams dunks the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) attempts a shot as he gets between Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) and center Goga Bitadze, back right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)