NBA fans hail Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after he cooks former team with 31 points: "Gonna win an MVP before the Clippers win a title"

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander picked up where he left off upon resuming regular season duties for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The guard propped up a game-high 31 points to help the Thunder record a blowout, 129-107 win over the LA Clippers at the Paycom Center on Thursday.

He added four assists and eight rebounds as the Thunder put a two-win distance between the two teams, who are placed second and third, respectively.

NBA fans were relentless while roasting the Clippers, with one of them not holding back:

Shai really gonna win an mvp before the clippers win a title

More responses poured in from fans on X, formerly Twitter:

NBA fans had MVP chants for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Twitter

Assisting "SGA" was Lu Dort with 19 points and Jalen Williams with 18 points. Chet Holmgren had 17 points and 10 rebounds on the night. For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard had 20 points and Norman Powell came off the bench to prop up 19 points.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains in MVP contention this season

With Joel Embiid out of the MVP race, the focus has shifted to Denver Nuggets big Nikola Jokic, however, there are two guards still in contention — Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The latter has had a string of impeccable performances and is a force on the offensive end for the Thunder.

The Canadian is averaging 31.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists this season in 53 games. In his last five games, he's averaging 30.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 6.4 apg.

Such has been his dominance that both LeBron James and Steph Curry named him in their list of players who could be the next face of the NBA. Former OKC star Kevin Durant added the guard to his list as well:

“I think each era has about six or seven guys that help carry the game forward, help push the game forward. There's more than just one or two guys. You look around the league — I'm going to miss a lot of guys, but you see Shai, Ant, Book, Luka, Tyrese Maxey Tyrese Haliburton.

"There are so many guys inspiring the next generation of hoopers after them to become basketball players that you can't just pinpoint it to one or two guys.”

The OKC Thunder (38-17) are one of the teams primed to make the playoffs this season, currently placed second in the West. Notably, they are just one win less than the top-placed Minnesota Timberwolves. Up next, they play the Washington Wizards, followed by a skirmish against the Houston Rockets.