Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made NBA history on Thursday, breaking Wilt Chamberlain‘s record for consecutive games with at least 20 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder secured a 104-102 victory against the Boston Celtics. The reigning NBA MVP has now scored at least 20 in 127 straight games. He finished with 35 points on 13-of-18 shooting, six rebounds, and nine assists as Oklahoma City won its seventh straight game.
(Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
Chet Holmgren drew a foul on a rebound with 0.9 seconds remaining and made both free throws to break a 102-102 tie. Payton Pritchard‘s heave at the buzzer was missed.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Chasing History
Gilgeous-Alexander went scoreless early in the first quarter before finding a rhythm, finishing with 10 points to end the period and 17 going into halftime. Boston attempted to blitz him to slow him down, but he had a solution regardless of the coverage.
When the record-breaking moment arrived in the third, he went with the shot most synonymous with his game — a pull-up jumper from mid-range. He credited the players who first inspired that part of his arsenal.
“Honestly, I shoot and fall in love with him because of guys like Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Allen Iverson,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “If anything, they changed the game, and how it’s played. Those are just my favorite players and who I try to model my game after.”
Chamberlain’s record was set over a 126-game run between 1961 and 1963, which included his iconic 100-point game. It ended not because of a poor shooting night, but because Chamberlain was ejected just four minutes into a January 1963 game against the St. Louis Hawks after picking up two technical fouls.
Gilgeous-Alexander tied Chamberlain’s streak on Monday against Denver with 35 points, while recording a career-high 15 assists and adding nine rebounds along with the go-ahead 3-pointer to win the game.
Closing Out the Win
With history already made, Gilgeous-Alexander had a game to win. He made back-to-back pull-up jumpers in the final 64 seconds: the first broke a 98-98 tie, and the second put Oklahoma City up 102-100 after Jaylen Brown knotted it at the free-throw line with 50.8 seconds left.
Brown made a turnaround jumper with 23 seconds remaining to set up the final sequence. Rather than look for his own shot, Gilgeous-Alexander made the unselfish play by finding Caruso in the corner. The 3-point attempt missed, but Holmgren cleaned up the miss on the glass to seal it.
“Honestly, I just trust him wholeheartedly. The guy makes big-time plays. He’s helped me win a championship and achieve my dream,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They were going to come off him. I saw them point to the guy across the court to come off him, so I kinda knew where the ball was going to go. I just want to give him another opportunity to make a play.”
Brown led Boston with 34 points. Jayson Tatum was sidelined as he continues to ramp up from Achilles surgery, having played three games since his return.
The Village Behind It
Oklahoma City has posted a 102-24 record in Gilgeous-Alexander’s streak, which began on Nov. 1, 2024. During this span, no team has produced a better record than the Thunder. It’s no surprise that he remains the frontrunner to claim a second consecutive MVP award.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said what separates Gilgeous-Alexander is how he handles success without letting it breed complacency.
“Human nature is that you have success, you ease a little bit, and he’s the opposite,” Daigneault said. “He tastes it, he wants more, he wants to come back for seconds. He’s a perfectionist when it comes to his craft. He’s got an unbelievably high bar for himself, and yet, he’s incredibly empathic with his teammates.”
Despite the glory of making history, Gilgeous-Alexander has remained focused on winning games as the top priority.
“We’ve won throughout the streak, most importantly. I’ve just had so much fun playing basketball over the last year and a half,” he said. “When you stay in the right mindframe, when you stay together, when you’re connected as a unit and just have fun throughout the whole process, you get the best out of things. That’s what the group is.”
He credited the people closest to him for his success.
“I’ve had a lot of luck with great people in my corner. People who helped me grow my skills, grow with my body, grow and understand the game, grow off the court,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Family, friends, my wife, my son. It takes a village to accomplish great things.”
Oklahoma City returns to action on Sunday against Minnesota at Paycom Center.
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