Thunder beat short-handed Pelicans 106-88 for 2nd straight win without injured forward Chet Holmgren

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (AP) — Jalen Williams scored 31 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 29 and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 106-88 on Wednesday night.

The victory was the second straight for the Thunder without Chet Holmgren. Oklahoma City was coming off a 134-128 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.

Lou Dort scored 11 points and Aaron Wiggins added 10 for Oklahoma City (10-2), which broke a 59-all tie with a 16-0 run in the third quarter for a 75-59 advantage.

Williams shot 10 for 18, including 4 for 7 from long distance and had seven assists. Gilgeous-Alexander made 12 of 25 shots and the Thunder converted 15 of 39 shots from 3-point range.

Brandon Ingram scored 18 points, Trey Murphy added 14 and Yves Missi had 10 points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans (3-9), which outrebounded Oklahoma City 58-31, but was slowed by 24 turnovers. The Pelicans played without Jose Alvarado, Herb Jones, CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray and Zion Williamson, who were all reported as injured.

Holmgren will miss at least eight weeks with a pelvic fracture after a hard fall during Sunday’s loss to Golden State. The 7-foot-1 forward/center had been one of the league’s most efficient scorers and top shot blockers.

Oklahoma City trailed 16-6 early, but closed out the first quarter on a 24-8 run for a 33-28 lead. Gilgeous-Alexander had nine points and Kenrich Williams contributed five off the bench in six minutes, including a 3-pointer.

Oklahoma City played a guard-heavy lineup for the second straight game since losing Holmgren and committed just seven turnovers, two days after turning the ball over only 11 times in a win over the Clippers

The Pelicans host Denver on Friday, while the Thunder host Phoenix, also on Friday.

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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) dunks as New Orleans Pelicans guard Brandon Boston Jr. (11) watches during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams, right, tries to steal the ball from New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots over New Orleans Pelicans guard Javonte Green (4) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng, right, secures the ball against New Orleans Pelicans center Trey Jemison III, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) celebrates near New Orleans Pelicans guard Javonte Green (4) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

LeBron James and the NBA are going to have make room for the NFL on Christmas.

That shouldn't be a problem. Both leagues were winners on Wednesday.

Netflix set records as the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history while the NBA had its best holiday numbers in five years according to Nielsen.

The NFL and Nielsen said 65 million U.S. viewers tuned in for at least one minute of one of the two NFL games.

The Baltimore Ravens' 31-2 victory over the Houston Texans averaged 24.3 million while Kansas City's 29-10 win at Pittsburgh averaged 24.1 according to early viewer figures released by Nielsen on Thursday.

The NBA's five-game slate averaged about 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN and its platforms, according to the league and Nielsen.

“I love the NFL,” James jokingly said in his televised postgame interview Wednesday night. “But Christmas is our day.”

However, Wednesday's ratings showed that there is room for both.

Even though the NBA had the sports calendar to itself on Dec. 25 for many years, the NFL has made Christmas one of its tentpole events during the regular season, joining Kickoff Weekend and Thanksgiving.

Hans Schroeder, the executive vice president of NFL Media, took James' comments in jest while also being joyful about the first season of the league's three-year partnership with Netflix.

“The numbers speak for themselves and LeBron can have his own view, and I’m sure more people will look at that because of this," he said. "But, you know, we’re focused on the NFL and we’re thrilled with the results this year with the Christmas on Netflix and we’re excited to continue to build that over the next couple of years.”

Both NFL games surpassed the previous mark of 23 million for last season’s AFC wild-card game between the Miami Dolphins and Chiefs on Peacock.

Viewership for Ravens-Texans peaked with the Beyoncé Bowl. The nearly 13-minute halftime performance averaged over 27 million viewers.

The viewer figures include the audience on Netflix, mobile viewership on NFL+ and those who tuned in on CBS stations in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Baltimore and Houston.

Global ratings and final U.S. numbers are expected to be available on Tuesday.

The NFL’s Christmas numbers decreased from last season, but not at the rate that usually happens when programming goes from broadcast to streaming.

Last year’s three games averaged 28.68 million viewers. The early afternoon contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and Chiefs led the way, averaging 29.48 million on CBS.

Once global and Netflix’s first-party data is released, both Christmas games are expected to surpass 30 million.

The games were the second- and third-most popular live titles in Netflix history, surpassed only by the Nov, 14 fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. That bout averaged a worldwide audience of 60 million and peaked at 65 million concurrent streams, including 38 million concurrent streams in the United States.

There will be at least two NFL games on Christmas next year, but with the holiday falling on a Thursday it is more likely to be three with two afternoon and one prime time. The NFL has had three Thanksgiving Day games since 2006.

One of the biggest wins for Netflix on Wednesday: fewer streaming complaints it received. It seems the only gripe from most was that the stream did not immediately go to live action if someone tuned in after the game started.

Bela Bajaria, Netflix's chief content officer, said in statement about the Chistmas broadcasts that the streaming service is thankful for the partnership with the NFL, the on-air talent, and "let’s please not forget the electrifying Beyoncé and the brilliant Mariah Carey.”

Beyoncé’s performance was trending number one worldwide socially on X , formerly known as Twitter. The hashtag #NFLonNetflix also trended around the world, reaching a peak of second in Australia, third in the United Kingdom and Germany, fifth in Brazil and France, and sixth in the U.S.

The NBA felt it had a banner day, announcing Thursday that all five Christmas games on its schedule — San Antonio at New York in Victor Wembanyama’s holiday debut, Minnesota at Dallas, Philadelphia at Boston, Denver at Phoenix and Lakers-Warriors — saw year-over-year viewership increases.

The NBA’s lineup saw an 84% rise over 2023. One reason for the increase is that all five games were on ABC, compared to two last year.

The Lakers’ 115-113 victory over the Warriors — a game pitting Olympic teammates James and Stephen Curry — averaged 7.76 million viewers and peaked with about 8.32 million viewers toward the end of the contest, the league said.

Those numbers represent the most-watched NBA regular season game in five years.

Wednesday’s numbers pushed NBA viewership for the season across ESPN platforms to up 4% over last season. The league also saw more than 500 million video views on its social media platforms Wednesday, a new record.

For the NBA, those are all good signs amid cries that NBA viewership is hurting.

“Ratings are down a bit at beginning of the season. But cable television viewership is down double digits so far this year versus last year,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this month. “You know, we’re almost at the inflection point where people are watching more programing on streaming than they are on traditional television. And it’s a reason why for our new television deals, which we enter into next year, every game is going to be available on a streaming service.”

Part of that new package of television deals that the NBA is entering into next season also increases the number of regular season games broadcast on television from 15 to 75.

Under the 11-year agreement, ESPN and ABC will continue air the Christmas Day games.

AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBA

Beyoncé performs during halftime of an NFL football game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) speaks with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) after an NFL football game, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama (1), center, reacts as he sinks a three point basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in New York. The basket was not counted after an officials review. The Knicks defeated the Spurs 117-114. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)