Isaiah Hartenstein and the Oklahoma City Thunder enter the new year with their 12th straight win. The team around the German center won 113:105 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and remains at the top of the Western Conference with 27 wins.
Hartenstein had a strong game with 15 points and 10 rebounds and was the second best point scorer behind playmaker Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The candidate for the most important player (MVP) excelled with 40 points. “He’s the MVP, clearly. There are no discussions at all,” Hartenstein praised his point guard and immediately gave the reason why: “He puts up 40 points, even though he goes into the game and actually only looks to put his teammates in the spotlight. That’s what sets him apart.”
The franchise had only achieved twelve wins in a row once before, in the 2012/13 season with superstar Kevin Durant. The record set by the Seattle Super Sonics, from which the Oklahoma City Thunder emerged in 2008, is just two wins away. The fact that the series held against Minnesota was mainly due to the Thunder’s strong second half. “We played more of our basketball again,” said Hartenstein: “That turned the game around for us.”
Strong game from LeBron James after his 40th birthday
Meanwhile, a strong performance by the now 40-year-old LeBron James against his former team was not enough for the Los Angeles Lakers to win. The 20-time All-Star scored 23 points just one day after his milestone birthday, but Los Angeles still lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-122. Cleveland leads the league with 29 wins, the Lakers are seventh in the West with 18 wins.
The Boston Celtics celebrated a 125:71 win against the Toronto Raptors. The last time the record champions received fewer points was in February 2013. The most successful thrower on a balanced championship team was All-Star Jayson Tatum with 23 points.
2025-01-01 05:51:00