NBA

MVP battle: Gilgeous-Alexander leads Thunder to win against Jokic and Nuggets

The Cavs secured their 14th straight win over the Bucks, joining an elite group as just the seventh team in NBA history to achieve this feat.

Luguentz Dort (5) makes a dunk against the Denver Nuggets.Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images/Sipa USA / Cordon Press

Published by

Israel Duro

10 de marzo, 2025

Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder to victory over Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in a showdown between the two frontrunners for the NBA MVP award. Gilgeous-Alexander dominated with 40 points and eight rebounds, outperforming Jokic, who finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the only team with a better record than the Thunder, made history by becoming just the seventh team to win 14 consecutive games.

The Serbian center, a three-time MVP winner—including last season’s—strengthened his case for another award on Friday with a historic performance. Jokić recorded an astonishing triple-double with 31 points, 21 rebounds, and 22 assists, a stat line never before seen in NBA history.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s leading scorer this season (32.8 PPG), responded on Sunday with another electrifying performance, further cementing his stellar form. In pursuit of his first MVP award, the star guard has topped 40 points in each of his last three games, including a 51-point explosion in Monday’s win over the Houston Rockets.

Beyond his individual stats, Gilgeous-Alexander is the undisputed leader of the Western Conference’s top team, the Thunder, who hold a commanding 12-game lead over both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Nuggets. With this comfortable cushion, Oklahoma City was able to rest its starters on Friday against Portland to keep them fresh for the showdown with Denver.

The game remained tight until the fourth quarter, when the Thunder pulled away with a 9-0 run, fueled by seven points from All-Star forward Jalen Williams, who finished as the team’s second-leading scorer with 26 points. Gilgeous-Alexander also stepped up in the final stretch, adding nine points in the decisive quarter.

Jokic, on the other hand, lacked sufficient support from his co-star Jamal Murray, who struggled offensively, managing just 17 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the court.

The Oklahoma City crowd erupted in "MVP" chants for Gilgeous-Alexander every time he stepped to the free-throw line, celebrating the Thunder’s seventh consecutive win. Reflecting on his showdown with Jokić, the Canadian star told AFP, "Getting the win, that's everything to me. I love MVPs, I love All-Stars, I love all the things that come with it, but none of that matters if you don't win."

Cavs reach 14 straight wins

In one of Sunday’s seven games, the Cleveland Cavaliers extended their hot streak with a 112-100 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks. The Eastern Conference leaders have now won 14 straight games, a feat only six other teams have accomplished in a single season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, the leaders of the Bucks, tried to halt Cleveland’s streak by playing for the second consecutive night. The Greek forward finished with 30 points and nine rebounds, while Lillard added 22 points, but it wasn't enough against another strong team effort from Cleveland. All five of the Cavaliers' starters scored in double digits to secure the win.

The leading scorer for the Cavaliers in this game was guard Max Strus, who finished with 17 points, followed by the All-Star trio of Donovan Mitchell (15), Darius Garland (13), and Evan Mobley (13).

LeBron will be out for 1-2 weeks

It was also reported on Sunday that LeBron James' injury, suffered on Saturday, may not be as serious as initially feared.

According to ESPN, the veteran forward is expected to be out for at least one to two weeks due to a groin strain that forced him to exit late in the loss to the Boston Celtics. The prognosis could become clearer within the next 24 hours, once the pain in the area subsides, the report added.

The Lakers need the 40-year-old "King James" healthy as they head into the playoffs, where they are filled with renewed hope after signing Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic in February.