NBA: With 40 points from Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City clinches its playoffs berth

Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) shined with 40 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, a win that made the team the first to clinch its spot in the NBA.

These were the highlights of the day in the basketball league:

Gilgeous-Alexander, monumental.

Gilgeous-Alexander was supported by Chet Holmgren, author of 20 points and 12 rebounds, in addition to the 16 points contributed by Ajay Mitchell, contributions that allowed the reigning NBA champions to beat the Magic 113-108.

Oklahoma City's ninth straight win leaves the team with a 54-15 record, consolidated at the top of the Western Conference and ahead of the San Antonio Spurs, who are running second. Orlando, meanwhile, fell to 38-30 and remain in sixth place in the East.

Paolo Bancherowas the Magic's leading scorer with 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. On the other hand, SGA, reigning NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), highlighted the Thunder's ability to react after an uneven first half.

"We got off to a good start, but then the car went off the road a little bit," Gilgeous-Alexander commented. "But that's what great teams do: they find a way to get the car back on the road, find a way to get on a court and win a game when everything is against us, and that's what we did tonight."

The Canadian also extended his all-time streak of consecutive games scoring at least 20 points to 129.

San Antonio keeps the pressure on

The San Antonio Spurs are following close behind Oklahoma City and crushed the Sacramento Kings 132-104.

A spread offense allowed seven San Antonio players to finish with double digits in points, with Victor Wembanyama and Keldon Johnson leading the way with 18 apiece.

In Minneapolis, Julius Randle's 32 points powered the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 116-104 win over the Phoenix Suns.

Pistons prevail, but Cunningham goes out injured

In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons steamrolled the Washington Wizards 130-117, cementing their place at the top of the standings.

The Pistons raised their record to 49-19 boosted by Jalen Duren's 36 points, although the win was marred by the injury of their star player, Cade Cunningham.

The point guard, one of the main contenders for MVP of the season, left the game in the first quarter due to back discomfort.

Meanwhile, the New York Knicks remain firmly in third place in the East after beating 136-110 the lackluster Indiana Pacers, last season's finalists but slumping this year with a 15-54 record.

Josh Hart led the New York offense with 33 points, including a flawless 5-for-5 on 3-pointers, while OG Anunoby scored 26 and Karl-Anthony Towns brought in another 22.