Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 30 and Thunder with 5th straight, 141-106 over Hornets

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder won their fifth in a row, 141-106 over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s top scorer at 33.0 points per game, returned to the lineup after sitting out Wednesday night's lopsided win against Philadelphia. He made 13 of 18 shots to go with six rebounds and nine assists before sitting out the fourth quarter.

Chet Holmgren added 14 points, five rebounds and three blocks for Oklahoma City, which clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for the second consecutive season when Milwaukee beat the Lakers on Thursday.

Isaiah Hartenstein had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who played without injured starters Lu Dort and Jalen Williams. Oklahoma City led 66-49 at halftime after Kenrich Williams banked in a 29-foot shot at the buzzer, and 103-76 after three quarters.

Miles Bridges scored 20 points and Nick Smith Jr. added 14 for Charlotte, which played without injured starters LaMelo Ball (ankle) and Mark Williams (foot).

Ball and Williams combined for 44 points the night before in a win over the New York Knicks. The Hornets have lost six games by 30 or more points in the last month.

Hornets: Charlotte relied on the long ball to keep this one close until the third quarter, connecting on 19 of 41 from 3-point range (46.3%).

Thunder: Oklahoma City's depth helped the team surpass last season's win total and improve to 26-1 against the East.

Charlotte pulled within 75-65 on a 3-pointer by DaQuan Jeffries. Following a timeout, Oklahoma City responded with a 20-3 run to make it 95-68 with 3:37 left in the third.

Oklahoma City outscored the Hornets 64-26 in the paint.

The Hornets visit Miami on Sunday night, and the Thunder visit the Clippers the same day.

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

Charlotte Hornets center Jusuf Nurkic (11) tries to block a shot by Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Charlotte Hornets guard KJ Simpson, left, and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace, right, chase the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, right, drives against Charlotte Hornets guard KJ Simpson, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) tries to score against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jaylin Williams, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate, right, goes up for a dunk as Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, lower center, watches during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Charlotte Hornets guard Nick Smith Jr., right, drives against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, center, as Thunder forward Jaylin Williams (6) watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) looks to shoot over Charlotte Hornets guard Nick Smith Jr. (8) as Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) — Jesse Chavez returned to the Atlanta Braves once again — and got right back to work.

The 41-year-old Chavez pitched two innings on Sunday against Baltimore. The right-hander allowed two runs, one earned, and three hits.

Chavez is trying to win a spot in Atlanta's bullpen after he was released by Texas on Friday. He agreed to a minor league deal with the Braves on Saturday.

Chavez appeared in regular-season games with Atlanta in 2010 and each of the previous four years. He faced a similar situation in 2024, when he was released by the White Sox near the end of spring training and agreed to a minor league contract with the Braves.

He was first acquired by Atlanta in a December 2009 trade with Tampa Bay. He also signed minor league deals with the Braves in April 2021 and November 2022. He also was traded to Atlanta by the Chicago Cubs in April 2022.

Chavez is 12-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 186 career games with the Braves. He is 51-65 with a 4.24 ERA in 653 games overall, also playing for the A's, Rangers, Pirates, Angels, Blue Jays, Cubs, Royals and Dodgers.

Atlanta has been active in the runup to its opener at San Diego on Thursday.

The Braves signed outfielder Alex Verdugo to a $1.5 million, one-year contract on Thursday. Former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel and catcher James McCann agreed to minor league deals with the team last week. Veteran reliever Héctor Neris agreed to a minor league deal on March 3 and then made the team's opening-day roster.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

FILE - Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Jesse Chavez winds up during the second inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Sept. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell, File)