Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a player you can set your watch to. Despite averaging over 30 points per game in each of the past three seasons, he doesn’t get there with gaudy, single-game totals. Instead, he does it with historic consistency.
Entering Tuesday, Gilgeous-Alexander had never scored more than 45 points in an NBA game. However, he hasn’t been held below 18 points once this season. Every night, Gilgeous-Alexander clocks in, gives the Thunder somewhere between 25 and 45 points, and more often than not, that’s enough for the victory.
But the lowly Utah Jazz pushed Gilgeous-Alexander further on Wednesday. With both of Oklahoma City’s centers sidelined due to injury and the bulk of the roster struggling to make 3s, the Jazz trailed the Thunder by only six entering the fourth quarter. That forced Gilgeous-Alexander to keep scoring. And score he did. In the most prolific offensive night of his career to date, Gilgeous-Alexander gave the Thunder a career-best 54 points in a 123-114 victory.
Gilgeous-Alexander strengthens his MVP case
This was the first 50-point performance by a Thunder player since Russell Westbrook did so against the Denver Nuggets in April 2017, and that is a fitting comparison for one important reason. The game-winner Westbrook hit as time expired was widely considered the moment in which he clinched the 2016-17 MVP award. Gilgeous-Alexander is also competing for an MVP, and conveniently enough, he’s doing it against a member of the Nuggets.
Nikola Jokic has won three of the past four MVPs, and he’s going to lead Gilgeous-Alexander in this season’s race in a few key areas. Rebounds are a given as Jokic is a center. Assists are likely Jokic’s as well, and he has a chance to join Westbrook as the only player this century to average a triple-double across a full season. Jokic is the more efficient scorer, so if Gilgeous-Alexander wants to beat him, scoring volume is going to be an important element of his candidacy.
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At 32 points per game, Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA’s leading scorer this season. His Thunder have the NBA’s best record at 36-7. It’s a two-man race right now, and when it’s this close, a few signature moments like Westbrook’s game-winner back in 2017 can make all of the difference.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s consistency makes moments like that a rarity, but he got one on Wednesday, and in the process he picked up even more momentum in his MVP campaign.
