Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is making history with the Oklahoma City Thunder. After his first 427 career games without a 50-point performance, he has recorded four in his last 19 outings. His latest explosion came Monday night, lifting the Thunder past the Houston Rockets 137-128 for their 50th win of the season.
Houston entered with the NBA’s fourth-ranked defense but had no answer for SGA, who became just the 12th player in NBA history to log at least four 50-point games in a single season. Teammate Chet Holmgren said, “You’re not even surprised, but you’re wowed by it.”
The Thunder reached the 50-win mark faster than any team in franchise history, accomplishing the feat in just 61 games. SGA is also on pace to join Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook as the only players in the last 20 years to lead the league in 20+, 30+, 40+, and 50+ point games in a season.
Despite his historic scoring tear, Gilgeous-Alexander remains focused on winning. “You don’t play the game to score a bunch of points … You play the game to win,” he said. With OKC now holding an 11-game lead in the Western Conference, his mindset is paying off.