Shai Gilgeous-Alexander guided the OKC Thunder to their 60th victory as they fended off the struggling Sacramento Kings 121-105 on Tuesday night. The Thunder extended their winning streak to a league-best seven games, while the Kings dropped their fourth straight.
The MVP hopeful had a shaky start, committing four turnovers in the opening quarter, but still chipped in eight points as OKC finished the first up 31-21.
In the second quarter, the Thunder continued to dominate, widening the gap by another eight points to head into the break with an 18-point advantage.
Gilgeous-Alexander paced the Thunder with 18 points before halftime, as OKC shot a red-hot 59.0% from the field and knocked down 12 of their 21 3-point attempts.
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He reached a major milestone in the third quarter, becoming the first player in Thunder history to record 65 straight games with at least 20 points, surpassing Kevin Durant’s record. He also joined legends Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to hit that mark in 65 consecutive games.
But the Kings caught fire in the third, outscoring OKC 39-25, with Keegan Murray drilling a buzzer-beating three to trim the deficit to single digits, 89-81.
The Thunder responded in the fourth, regaining control as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helped steady the team, and OKC closed strong to secure their milestone 60th win of the season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s complete stat line is listed below.
Shaquille O'Neal believes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserved last year’s MVP award
For the second year in a row, the NBA’s MVP conversation has come down to Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
While Jokic took home the trophy last season, SGA is the clear front-runner to claim this year’s honor.
On Tuesday, former MVP Shaquille O’Neal shared that he felt SGA should have taken the award last year.
“I thought he should’ve won it last year," the Diesel said (per Clemente Amanza). "I said he should’ve won it last year."
"As a fan growing up, I always thought the MVP was the baddest MF, shut-your-mouth in the league. He’s the baddest MF, shut-your-mouth in the league. Nobody plays like him. Love this guy.”
According to ESPN Bet, SGA is currently the heavy favorite at -2000 to win MVP this season, with Jokic trailing at +800.
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