In a thrilling matchup on January 17, 2026, the Miami Heat narrowly defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder with a final score of 122-120. The game was marked by a pivotal moment when Andrew Wiggins drained a crucial three-pointer with just 31 seconds left on the clock, securing the lead for Miami. Bam Adebayo also shined brightly, contributing an impressive 30 points to the Heat's victory, which included a career-high of six shots from beyond the arc.
Miami's roster saw notable performances, with Norman Powell adding 19 points and Pelle Larsson contributing 16. The bench made a significant impact as well, with Simone Fontecchio and Myron Gardner teaming up to score 24 points.
On the other side, the Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put on a spectacular show, scoring 39 points, but ultimately fell short, marking their record at 35 wins and 8 losses for the season. Aaron Wiggins and Ajay Mitchell supported the effort with 18 and 15 points respectively, while Chet Holmgren chipped in with 14. Unfortunately, the Thunder faced a setback when Jalen Williams exited the game midway through the second quarter due to right thigh soreness, although he appeared to be favoring his hamstring as he left the court.
After Andrew Wiggins' decisive three-pointer, the Thunder had a chance to equalize but missed their opportunity when Holmgren failed to convert a lobbed inbounds pass from Alex Caruso. Miami secured the rebound, leading to a critical stop by the Thunder during the next Heat possession, forcing Miami to call a timeout with only 3 seconds remaining.
In a last-ditch effort, Caruso received the inbound from Gilgeous-Alexander, quickly returning it to Caruso for a three-point attempt that unfortunately fell short as the buzzer sounded. Remarkably, this loss marked the first time this season the Thunder has been defeated after scoring 120 points or more, having previously maintained a flawless record of 24-0 in such high-scoring games before this encounter.
Despite the victory, Miami faced challenges as they played without Tyler Herro, who was sidelined due to a sore big toe and bruised rib, and Jaime Jaquez Jr., who was nursing a sprained left knee.
Gilgeous-Alexander's outstanding performance continued his streak of scoring at least 20 points in 113 consecutive regular-season games, inching him closer to Wilt Chamberlain’s legendary record by only 13 games. Notably, this marks the 77th instance during this streak where he has scored 30 or more points, with his only exception being a single game where he scored exactly 20 points — that occurrence was just two days prior during a win against Houston.
Looking ahead, the Thunder will travel to Cleveland for their next game on Monday, while the Heat will make their way to Golden State on the same day.
