LOS ANGELES: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 136-120 on Tuesday in a hard-fought battle that saw Luka Doncic controversially ejected in the fourth quarter.

Two days after suffering a 27-point defeat to the Lakers, the No.1-ranked Thunder avenged that loss thanks to Gilgeous-Alexander’s 13th 40-point game of the season, with Jalen Williams adding 26 and Luguentz Dort 17.

The contest pivoted on the fourth quarter incident that led to the Lakers’ Slovenian star Doncic picking up a second technical foul and being tossed from the game. Doncic was ejected following a one-handed jump shot which put the Lakers 108-107 up with 7min 40sec remaining after officiating crew member J.T. Orr judged he had been verbally abused by the player following the bucket.

Doncic protested, arguing he had merely been responding to a fan at courtside who had heckled him, but the decision stood and clearly rattled the Lakers, allowing the Thunder to seize the initiative and pull away for victory.

“It was a great game that unfortunately didn’t get the finish that I think every basketball fan would want because of some decision making on some individuals’ parts,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick said. LeBron James, who finished with 28 points, was at a loss to explain Doncic’s ejection.

“I don’t know why the ref was taking it personal,” James told reporters. “The ref took it upon himself to think it was versus him. The game was just weird as hell after that.” Doncic insisted he had not been trash-talking Orr. “It was nothing to do with the ref, so I didn’t really understand it,” Doncic said. “It was tough, but you know that’s on me too. I can’t let my team down like that.”

The Lakers remain in third place with a 48-31 record and need to win two of their remaining three regular-season fixtures to lock in third seeding in the Western Conference.

Cavs clinch no.1 seeding

The Cleveland Cavaliers clinched No.1 seeding in the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs after cruising past the Chicago Bulls 135-113. Darius Garland led the scoring with 28 points in a balanced offensive performance from the Cavs, who improved to 63-16 to ensure they will finish the regular season on top of the East.

The victory means Cleveland will have home advantage when the playoffs get under way next week following the completion of the regular season on Sunday. Garland was one of five Cleveland players to post double figures, with Evan Mobley adding 21 points with 12 rebounds and seven assists and Ty Jerome chipping in with 18 off the bench.

“You celebrate these moments,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “It’s hard to win 63 games in this league, and it’s hard to be the first seed. We’re hungry for more.” Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, the second-seeded Boston Celtics edged the third-placed New York Knicks in a thriller at Madison Square Garden, with Jayson Tatum’s 32-point performance guiding the NBA champions to a 119-117 overtime victory.

Back in the Western Conference playoff race, where six teams are vying for the remaining four automatic playoff berths, the Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a potentially costly 110-103 defeat on the road to the Milwaukee Bucks. The result leave Minnesota on 46-33 and outside the top six places in the West in eighth position.

The Memphis Grizzlies boosted their chances of playoff qualification with a 124-100 win over the Charlotte Hornets on the road. The game was overshadowed by a scary injury to Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells, who was stretchered off the court after landing heavily following a foul by K.J. Simpson.

US media reported Wells was awake and alert and nursing a broken wrist following the incident. The Grizzlies, the Denver Nuggets, the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers now have identical 47-32 records with just three regular season games remaining. The Phoenix Suns were eliminated from postseason contention after suffering a 133-95 blowout to Golden State, while the Clippers climbed into the playoff positions with a 122-117 win over San Antonio.

Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets fired NBA championship-winning head coach Michael Malone on Tuesday in a shock move that comes just three games away from the start of the playoffs. Malone led the Nuggets to the franchise’s first ever NBA title in 2023, but despite the exploits of three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, Denver have struggled for consistency this season and are currently on a four-game losing streak.

They are fourth in a tight Western Conference race with four teams just a half-game behind them. “It is with no pleasure that we announce that we have relieved Michael Malone of his head coaching duties, effective immediately,” Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said in a statement, adding that assistant coach David Adelman will assume head coaching duties for the remainder of the campaign. The Nuggets have three games remaining in the regular season, which concludes on Sunday.

ESPN reported that the move matches the NBA record for latest coaching change in a season. “This decision was not made lightly and was evaluated very carefully, and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA Championship and delivering another title to Denver and our fans everywhere,” Kroenke said.

“While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship-level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now.” Since he was hired in 2015 Malone has amassed a 471-327 record with the Nuggets. General manager Calvin Booth was also sacked. But despite the upheaval Kroenke said that “championship-level standards and expectations remain in place for the current season.”

Malone’s stunning dismissal, and the likely unsettling effect it will have on the Denver locker-room so close to the playoffs, is out of character for the Nuggets ownership group. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment own several sports teams in the United States as well as English Premier League side Arsenal, and do not generally have a reputation as being particularly trigger-happy when it comes to the hiring and firing managers and head coaches. — AFP