INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 55 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder won their second straight double-overtime game to begin the season, beating the Indiana Pacers 141-135 on Thursday night in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals teams.
The reigning MVP reached 50 for the fifth time, tying Russell Westbrook for most by a Thunder player. Ajay Mitchell added a career-best 26 points for Oklahoma City, which outlasted Houston on Tuesday in its season opener.
Gilgeous-Alexander fueled the decisive flurry to open the second overtime. The officials also granted a late timeout to Oklahoma City when it appeared Obi Toppin had stolen the inbound pass underneath the Thunder basket.
Gilgeous-Alexander was 15 of 31 from the floor and 23 of 26 from the free throw line while adding eight rebounds and eight assists. Aaron Wiggins finished with 23 points and nine rebounds. Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed 14 rebounds.
Bennedict Mathurin had 36 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers before fouling out in the first overtime. Pascal Siakam had 32 points and 15 rebounds for Indiana, which is without two-time All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton and backup point guard T.J. McConnell, then lost guard Andrew Nembhard with a sore left shoulder in the first half.
WARRIORS 137, NUGGETS 131, OT
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 42 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer late in regulation to help Golden State overcome Aaron Gordon’s career-high 50 points and beat Denver.
The Warriors went on a 12-2 run in overtime that started with a corner 3-pointer from Al Horford and featured a back-breaking one from Jimmy Butler that made it 133-127 with 41 seconds to play as Golden State got off to a 2-0 start this season.
Gordon broke Alex English’s franchise record for a season opener of 47 points set in 1985 against Golden State. Gordon’s 10 3-pointers tied Terry Rozier’s record set in 2020 for the most made in a season opener.
It was a dramatic end to regulation with Gordon hitting a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 25.7 seconds to play only to watch Curry tie it 4.3 seconds later with a long 3 of his own. Nikola Jokic then missed a shot in the lane just before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime, where the Warriors took control.
Jokic finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists to join Oscar Robertson as the only players with four triple-doubles in season openers.
Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) puts up a shot against Indiana Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin (00) during overtime of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
MIAMI (AP) — Anfernee Simons scored 18 of his season-high 39 points in the fourth quarter, Jaylen Brown added 27 and the Boston Celtics trailed most of the way before rallying to beat the Miami Heat 119-114 on Thursday night.
Sam Hauser added 17 points for the Celtics, who outscored Miami 36-21 in the fourth quarter and won after facing as much as a 19-point deficit. It was their second-biggest comeback win of the season, after coming from 20 down to beat Indiana on Dec. 22.
Simons had the second highest-scoring game for a reserve this season — Utah's Brice Sensabaugh had 43 on Wednesday night in a loss to Chicago — and became the fourth Celtics player in the last 50 years to score at least 39 off the bench. The others: Larry Bird, Todd Day and Payton Pritchard.
Norman Powell scored 26 points for Miami, which got 22 points apiece from Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Andrew Wiggins added 16 for the Heat.
Simons had 11 consecutive Boston points in the fourth quarter to chip away at what was left of the Miami edge, and then Hauser got an open 3-pointer with 5:21 left to give the Celtics their first lead since the opening minute of the game.
The lead changed hands twice more, before Brown's 3-pointer with 4:05 remaining put Boston on top for good.
Miami started the game on a 28-9 run, putting the Celtics in a most unusual early position.
That 19-point margin — only about seven minutes into the game — matched the biggest first-quarter deficit the Celtics faced in a 304-game span since trailing Indiana by 20 early on in a game on Dec. 21, 2022. Boston also trailed Milwaukee by 19 in the first quarter on April 9, 2024.
The Heat played without starting point guard Davion Mitchell (left shoulder contusion) and sixth man Jaime Jaquez Jr. (left knee soreness).
Celtics: At Atlanta on Saturday night.
Heat: Host Oklahoma City on Saturday night.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Boston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons, center, is defended by Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Boston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons (4) comes under pressure from Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Boston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons (4) goes for the basket defended by Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware, obscured, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) reacts after making a shot during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra watches from courtside during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
