Blackwood has 38 saves in debut, Avalanche beat Predators 5-2

DENVER (AP) — Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 38 shots in his Colorado debut, and the Avalanche held off a late Nashville surge to beat the Predators 5-2 on Saturday night.

Nathan MacKinnon had two goals and an assist, Artturi Leknonen scored twice and Ross Colton had a goal for the Avalanche.

Steven Stamkos and Luke Evangelista scored for Nashville, and Juuse Saros finished with 29 saves.

Colorado acquired Blackwood from San Jose on Monday and he made a great first impression in front of the home fans. He stopped the first 37 shots he faced before Stamkos scored with 6:57 remaining in the third.

Evangelista made it a one-goal game on a delayed penalty with 4:52 to go, MacKinnon and Lehkonen scored empty-net goals in the final 2 minutes to seal the win.

Defenseman Roman Josi missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury for Nashville.

Predators: The top line was buzzing despite not getting rewarded until Stamkos scored. Forsberg and Stamkos had five shots each and Jonathan Marchessault had three.

Avalanche: MacKinnon is heating up after a slow stretch. He had just one goal in 13 games in the last half of November but has scored five in December, including a goal in three straight games. He passed Michel Goulet for third on the franchise list in scoring with 948 points.

Midway through the second period Stamkos got behind Colorado’s defense and skated in alone on net, but Blackwood made the save to keep the game scoreless. Less than three minutes later, Colton gave the Avalanche the lead.

MacKinnon now has 50 points for the season, tops in the NHL.

Predators host the New York Rangers on Tuesday to open a four-game homestand, and Avalanche visit Vancouver on Monday to start a three-game trip.

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

Nashville Predators left wing Zachary L'Heureux, front, pursues the puck while, from back left, Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, defenseman Sam Malinski, center Casey Mittelstadt and defenseman Samuel Girard cover in the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, center, drives between Nashville Predators centers Jonathan Marchessault, left, and Steven Stamkos in the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg, left, fights for control of the puck with Colorado Avalanche center Casey Mittelstadt in the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Nashville Predators center Jonathan Marchessault, front, pins Colorado Avalanche center Parker Kelly to the boards while pursuing the puck in the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Nashville Predators center Steven Stamkos, left, collects the puck as Colorado Avalanche defenseman Calvin de Haan covers in the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Nashville Predators left wing Cole Smith, left, fights to control the puck with Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon in the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood prepares to man the net in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Nashville Predators defenseman Nick Blankenburg, right, collects the puck as Colorado Avalanche center Ivan Ivan defends in the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sam Malinski, left, pursues the puck with Nashville Predators center Mark Jankowski in the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Nashville Predators center Ryan O'Reilly, center, struggles to control the puck as Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, left, and defenseman Samuel Girard cover in the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — It was midway through the third quarter of the Oklahoma City-Houston NBA Cup semifinal matchup on Saturday night. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just made a short jumper in the lane and, to his delight, a time-out was immediately called.

He needed it.

He retreated to midcourt, crouched down, propped himself up by his fingertips and took deep breath after deep breath. It was that sort of night. And given the way the Rockets and Thunder have defended all season long, such a game was predictable.

In the end, it was Oklahoma City 111, Houston 96 in a game where the teams combined to shoot 41%. The immediate reward for the Thunder: two days off to recover. The bigger reward: a matchup with Milwaukee on Tuesday night for the NBA Cup, with more than $300,000 per player the difference between winning and losing.

“That's what defense does for you,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, whose team has held opponents to 41% shooting or worse a league-best 11 times this season — and is 11-0 in those games. “It keeps you in games.”

The Rockets-Thunder semifinal was basketball, with elements of football, rugby, hockey and probably even some wrestling thrown in. It wasn't unusual. It's how they play: defense-first, tough, gritty, physical.

They are the two top teams in the NBA in terms of field-goal percentage defense — Oklahoma City came in at 42.7%, Houston at 43.4% — and entered the night as two of the top three in scoring defense. Orlando led entering Saturday at 103.7 per game, Oklahoma City was No. 2 at 103.8, Houston No. 3 at 105.9. (The Thunder, by holding Houston to 96, passed the Magic for the top spot on Saturday.)

Houston finished 36.5% from the field, its second-worst showing of the season. When the Rockets shoot 41% or better, they're 17-4. When they don't, they're 0-5.

“Sometimes it comes down to making shots,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Especially in the first half, we guarded well enough. ... But you put a lot of pressure on your defense when you're not making shots.”

Even though scoring across the NBA is down slightly so far this season, about a point per game behind last season's pace and two points from the pace of the 2022-23 season, it's still a golden age for offense in the league. Consider: Boston scored 51 points in a quarter earlier this season.

Saturday was not like most games. The halftime score: Rockets 42, Thunder 41. Neither team crossed the 50-point mark until Dillon Brooks' 3-pointer for Houston gave the Rockets a 51-45 lead with 8:46 left in the third quarter.

Brooks is generally considered one of the game's tougher defenders. Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the game's best scorers. They're teammates on Canada's national team, and they had some 1-on-1 moments on Saturday.

“It's fun. It makes you better,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That's what this league is about, competing against the best in the world and defensively, he is that for sure. And I like to think that of myself offensively. He gives me a chance to really see where I'm at, a good test. I'd say I handled it pretty well.”

Indeed he did. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 32 points, the fifth instance this season of someone scoring that many against the Rockets. He's done it twice, and the Thunder scored 70 points in the second half to pull away.

“We knew that if we kept getting stops we would give ourselves a chance,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “And we did so.”

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

Houston Rockets center Steven Adams, left, and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams (34) contest for a rebound during the first half of a semifinal game in the NBA Cup basketball tournament Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins, left, and Houston Rockets center Steven Adams, righht, contest for a rebound during the first half of a semifinal game in the NBA Cup basketball tournament Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein, top, and Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun, bottom, contest for a rebound during the first half of a semifinal game in the NBA Cup basketball tournament Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) reacts while being fouled by Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (17) while Rockets guard Aaron Holiday, right, defends during the first half of a semifinal game in the NBA Cup basketball tournament Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)