Shai Gilgeous-Alexander marked his return from injury with 36 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 127-121 in overtime.
The NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player had been out of action since sustaining an abdominal strain on 3 February and missed nine games.
He played 34 minutes on his return, but remained on the bench in overtime as Alex Caruso guided the Thunder to their sixth win from their past eight games.
“Felt good,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “I’m just thankful to be back.”
The 27-year-old was in the action from the start, opening his account with a layup before being called for an early technical foul for throwing the ball at Denver’s Nikola Jokic, who made contact with him after play had stopped.
Thunder forward Luguentz Dort was later ejected for a flagrant foul after he tripped Jokic, sparking a shoving match after which Jokic and Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams receive technical fouls.
Caruso drove to the basket in the final seconds of regulation, but his shot bounced off the rim at the buzzer to send the game to extra time.
However, the Thunder scored the first five points in overtime and hung on for the win to maintain their two-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs at the top of the Western Conference.
