MANILA, Philippines — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drained a go-ahead basket with 32.5 seconds left on Sunday as Western Conference top seeds Oklahoma City clawed out a 94-92 victory over New Orleans in their NBA playoff opener.
The Pelicans were missing star Zion Williamson because of a hamstring strain but they refused to buckle at Oklahoma’s Paycom Center.
A pulsating contest featured 20 lead changes and was a marked contrast to the wins posted earlier by the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers.
The Celtics, fueled by Jayson Tatum’s first career playoff triple-double, parlayed a 14-0 start to a 114-94 victory over the Miami Heat.
The Clippers shrugged off the absence of Kawhi Leonard, bullying the Mavs early on the way to a 109-97 victory.
In Milwaukee, Damian Lillard scored all 35 of his points in the first half as the Bucks built a 69-42 halftime lead and beat the Indiana Pacers, 109-94.