Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 30 and Thunder with 5th straight, 141-106 over Hornets

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder won their fifth in a row, 141-106 over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s top scorer at 33.0 points per game, returned to the lineup after sitting out Wednesday night's lopsided win against Philadelphia. He made 13 of 18 shots to go with six rebounds and nine assists before sitting out the fourth quarter.

Chet Holmgren added 14 points, five rebounds and three blocks for Oklahoma City, which clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for the second consecutive season when Milwaukee beat the Lakers on Thursday.

Isaiah Hartenstein had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who played without injured starters Lu Dort and Jalen Williams. Oklahoma City led 66-49 at halftime after Kenrich Williams banked in a 29-foot shot at the buzzer, and 103-76 after three quarters.

Miles Bridges scored 20 points and Nick Smith Jr. added 14 for Charlotte, which played without injured starters LaMelo Ball (ankle) and Mark Williams (foot).

Ball and Williams combined for 44 points the night before in a win over the New York Knicks. The Hornets have lost six games by 30 or more points in the last month.

Hornets: Charlotte relied on the long ball to keep this one close until the third quarter, connecting on 19 of 41 from 3-point range (46.3%).

Thunder: Oklahoma City's depth helped the team surpass last season's win total and improve to 26-1 against the East.

Charlotte pulled within 75-65 on a 3-pointer by DaQuan Jeffries. Following a timeout, Oklahoma City responded with a 20-3 run to make it 95-68 with 3:37 left in the third.

Oklahoma City outscored the Hornets 64-26 in the paint.

The Hornets visit Miami on Sunday night, and the Thunder visit the Clippers the same day.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Charlotte Hornets center Jusuf Nurkic (11) tries to block a shot by Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Charlotte Hornets guard KJ Simpson, left, and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace, right, chase the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, right, drives against Charlotte Hornets guard KJ Simpson, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) tries to score against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jaylin Williams, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate, right, goes up for a dunk as Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, lower center, watches during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Charlotte Hornets guard Nick Smith Jr., right, drives against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, center, as Thunder forward Jaylin Williams (6) watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) looks to shoot over Charlotte Hornets guard Nick Smith Jr. (8) as Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)