Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the frontrunner for the 2024-25 MVP award thanks to his sensational season as the NBA’s leading scorer at 32.6 points per game, serving as the galvanizing force behind the Oklahoma City Thunder holding the league’s best record.
The Thunder point guard has been remarkably consistent in his impact for the Thunder, and while OKC had its 11-game winning streak snapped Friday by the Houston Rockets, Gilgeous-Alexander moved ahead of some NBA royalty with his 22-point performance. That happened to be his 70th consecutive game scoring 20 or more points, passing Michael Jordan for the third-longest such streak in NBA history.
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The last time Gilgeous-Alexander finished shy of 20 points (and the only time it’s happened this season) was back on Oct. 30, the Thunder’s fourth game of the season, when he scored 18 points in a win over the Spurs. Since then, he’s finished with at least 21 points in every game he’s played and has the all-time record in his sights.
The two players ahead of him are two more all-time greats, as Wilt Chamberlain holds the record with 80 straight 20-point games (he did so twice), while Oscar Robertson is second on the list with 76. Robertson’s streak and Chamberlain’s second streak happened in the 1963-64 season, meaning we haven’t seen a scoring season like Gilgeous-Alexander’s in more than 60 years.
With five games left in the regular season, Gilgeous-Alexander would need to extend his streak into the playoffs (and likely into the second round) to set a new NBA mark for consistent scoring excellence. The Thunder have five games left in the regular season, and with the top seed long locked up, it wouldn’t be surprising if SGA gets a night or two off before the postseason.
Having to keep that scoring streak up in the playoffs wouldn’t be much of a stretch for Gilgeous-Alexander, as he scored 24 or more in all 10 of OKC’s playoff games last year. Another run like that would put him on top of an incredibly impressive historical list, but his focus in the playoffs will undoubtedly be on a much bigger prize, as the Thunder are the NBA title favorites.
