OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jalen Williams scored 27 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 25 and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Toronto Raptors 121-109 on Friday night in Chet Holmgren’s return from injury.
Holmgren, the runner-up for rookie of the year last season, played for the first time in three months after recovering from a pelvic fracture. The 7-foot-1 forward had four points, five rebounds and four blocks in 22 minutes.
Aaron Wiggins added 18 points for the NBA-best Thunder (41-9), who won their fourth straight.
Scottie Barnes scored 21 points and Gradey Dick added 17 for the Raptors, who lost their third in a row.
Toronto was short-handed. Scoring leader RJ Barrett was in the concussion protocol. Brandon Ingram, acquired from New Orleans before the trade deadline, was with the team but didn’t play.
The Thunder led 58-47 at halftime and maintained control in the third quarter. Midway through the period, Williams was fouled as he drove for a tough layup in traffic. The ball rolled in, and he flexed his arms and shoulders for the crowd. He made the free throw to give the Thunder a 79-64 lead.
Takeaways
Raptors: The Raptors made 20 of 50 shots inside the 3-point line as the Thunder’s front line of Holmgren and the 7-foot Isaiah Hartenstein created problems.
Thunder: Oklahoma City didn’t miss a beat with Holmgren back. The Thunder made 51.2% of their shots and had 26 assists to 12 turnovers.
Key moment
Holmgren scored his first basket on a layup with 9:43 left in the first quarter.
Key stat
Gilgeous-Alexander made all 14 of his free-throw attempts.
Up next
The Raptors visit Houston on Sunday. The Thunder visit Memphis on Saturday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
