CHICAGO (AP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder held star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out of Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls to manage an abdominal strain that sidelined him for most of last month.
The reigning MVP had played the previous two games after missing nine in a row. He was second in the NBA in scoring at 31.8 points per game.
Gilgeous-Alexander is on a streak of 123 consecutive games with at least 20 points scored — the second-longest in NBA history, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain’s run of 126 straight.
The defending NBA champion Thunder had won five of six and led the Western Conference at 47-15 entering Tuesday’s game. They visit New York on Wednesday.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, right, keeps the ball from a reaching Dallas Mavericks forward Caleb Martin Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor was just days away from returning home to her husband and two children when a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait killed her and five other U.S. service members.
“She was almost home,” her husband, Joey Amor, said from their Minnesota home on Tuesday. “You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first – it hurts.”
Amor was one of four U.S. soldiers killed in the Iran war on Sunday and identified Tuesday by the Pentagon; two soldiers haven't yet been publicly identified. The members of the Army Reserve worked in logistics and kept troops supplied with food and equipment.
They died just one day after the U.S. and Israel launched its military campaign against Iran. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones against Israel and several Gulf Arab states that host U.S. armed forces.
Those killed also included Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, lowa, who was posthumously promoted from specialist. No other names were released.
“These men and women all bravely volunteered to defend our country, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said.
All were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, which provides food, fuel, water and ammunition, transport equipment and supplies.
“Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends. That’s the way it is,” President Donald Trump said of deaths.
A week before the drone attack, Amor, 39, was moved off-base to a shipping container-style building that had no defenses, Joey Amor said.
“They were dispersing because they were in fear that the base they were on was going to get attacked and they felt it was safer in smaller groups in separate places,” he said.
He last spoke to her about two hours before she was killed. He said she was working long shifts and they had been messaging about her tripping and falling the night before.
“She just never responded in the morning,” he said.
The couple's children are a senior in high school and a fourth-grader.
Coady's LinkedIn page said he was a student at Drake University and an information technology specialist with the Army Reserve.
He said he had learned how to "interact with countless different kinds of people from all different backgrounds” through his service.
Coady became an Eagle Scout in 2020, according to a Facebook post from his West Des Moines troop. An Iowa organization that helps homeless children said he made 12 Adirondack chairs for the group.
Nebraska U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts said he and his wife are mourning Tietjens’ death and praying for his family.
“May we always remember and honor the sacrifices made by Noah Tietjens and the Tietjens family,” Ricketts said.
Tietjens was married with a son, according to a Facebook page. A photo online shows the couple with their son wearing a martial arts uniform.
There are several family photos on Facebook pages belonging to Amor and her husband, Joey Amor, including some images with a teen son.
Last November, Joey wrote a post expressing his love for Nicole.
“Even while you are on the other side of the world you found a way to make my birthday special,” he said. “I love you!”
Boone contributed from Boise, Idaho and Toropin from Washington. Associated Press reporters Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Ed White in Detroit; Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska; David Fischer in Miami; Hallie Golden in Seattle, contributed.
Andrew Coady and his daughter Keira, right, talk about his son, Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, outside their home, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Keira Coady holds a photo of her brother, Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, outside her home, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Keira Coady talks about her brother, Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, outside her home, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
This image provided by U.S. Central Command shows aircraft on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) that are operating in support of the war in Iran, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (U.S. Navy via AP)
