3 Takeaways from OKC Thunder's Win on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Career Night

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's scoring output has usually remained around the "31" number, but a career-high performance against the Utah Jazz Wednesday night went above the norm..

Against a Utah Jazz team at the bottom of the Western Conference — now sporting a 10-32 record — the Oklahoma City Thunder took care of business. Despite the final score of 123-114 being somewhat close, it was in the driver's seat for all four quarters.

Oklahoma City proved its dominance once again at home, now having a 20-2 record in Paycom Center this season. Of course, this was a game it should win, but the manner it did was a strong showing nevertheless.

Here are three takeaways from yesterday's nine-point win:

Shai Reachs the 50 Mark

For the first time since Russell Westbrook in 2017, a Thunder player has finished with a 50-point game. Now that is a milestone.

Gilgeous-Alexander recorded a statline of 54 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals on 17-of-35 shooting on field goals and 17-of-18 shooting from the charity stripe. Dethroning a previous career best of 45 points, the MVP frontrunner was at his absolute best in every capacity.

A win is always the most important for players when having career performances like this, but Gilgeous-Alexander undoubetdly felt the special nature of what happened. A 50-point game doesn't come around often in the NBA, much less for him or Oklahoma City.

"It's always fun, I guess, to get career highs, always fun to knock things off your list," he said. "And to have the support of the city behind you is special for sure."

The 26-year-old did it all in 37 minutes, though if coach Mark Daigneault opted to give him a few extra minutes, the 60-point mark would've been in considerable reach. He was pleased with the final number but confident he could do more.

"I felt like I could've had a lot more, and I know that's going to sound very spoiled," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I feel like I didn't really have that great of a night, left a few on the table, but there's room to improve, and that's a good thing."

Free Throw Separation

Though 123 points and the 54 from Gilgeous-Alexander are nothing to snuff at, the Thunder didn't exactly have a standout offensive performance. It shot 12-of-39 on 3-pointers, as nearly every player on the roster struggled to hit from deep.

The consistency lay at the free-throw line instead. Oklahoma City shot an efficient 23-of-25 on free throws — good for 92% — which allowed it to find easy points even when shots weren't falling otherwise. However, it only came down to a total of two players that even got to the line.

Gilgeous-Alexander's 17 made free throws did most of the damage, but Jalen Williams' 6-of-7 shooting rounded out the rest of the Thunder's points there. Each player was attacking the basket and finding ways to draw fouls, which became a huge separator for it.

The Jazz shot just 16-of-24 on free throws, and if it had made a percentage comparable to Oklahoma City, things could've gotten a little more interesting last night. When it comes down to it, the charity stripe is always one of the most important aspects of the game.

Bench Production

Though Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams dominated much of the conversation during and after the game, the Thunder bench had a couple of key contributors that made a difference.

Cason Wallace has struggled with offensive efficiency this season — contrary to his rookie year — but last night was a different story. The guard finished with 13 points and four rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and played a near team-high of 36 minutes.

Alex Caruso even got some momentum building, recording seven points, three rebounds, five assists and four steals on 3-of-7 field goals. Above anyone else on the Oklahoma City roster, he's struggled with finding an offensive rhythm. Potentially, this could help him get back on track after his last injury.

The Thunder has one of the strongest bench units in the league, considering how deep the roster is, so it's no surprise that it continues to play a key role in games. When players can play more than starters on any given night, that's telling.

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