Another MVP Night From Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Lifts Short-Handed OKC Past Bucks

The Oklahoma City Thunder walked into Wednesday’s matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks in a bad position.

The Thunder were without Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein, Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams on Wednesday morning, and right before gametime, Aaron Wiggins was ruled out due to soreness in his right groin. The bad luck continued during the game for the Thunder as Ajay Mitchell would leave the game and not return due to a right hip contusion.

Although it seemed like OKC couldn’t catch any breaks, it still had the world’s best player on its team in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Gilgeous-Alexander had another MVP night as the Thunder All-Star put up a double-double to lead Oklahoma City’s skeleton squad to a 122-102 victory over the Bucks. He had 40 points and 11 assists in just 33 minutes of action. The Thunder guard also shot a ridiculous 84.2% from the field and made every attempt from beyond the arc he took.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s explosive scoring would send a big message in the third quarter, as the guard scored 15 of his points during this period. He has scored at least 20 points in 115 straight games and is just 11 games off Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 126.

His night didn’t end with just scoring, as Gilgeous-Alexander also had seven rebounds and a steal to round out another performance that is worthy to put on his resume for a second straight MVP. This would be a crazy performance from any player, but it’s become something to expect from Gilgeous-Alexander.

The Thunder guard ranks second in the NBA in points per game, averaging 31.8. Gilgeous-Alexander also ranks in the top 20 in assists with 6.2 and top 15 in field goal percentage, as he shoots 54.8% from the floor per game.

The MVP can do it all, and he’s continuing to prove that night in and night out. The rest of the NBA continues to observe this as well, as he was named to his fourth All-Star team and third consecutive start for the 2026 All-Star Weekend.

Gilgeous-Alexander is playing unreal basketball, and it’s right when the Thunder need it. Injuries are certain down the stretch of a long NBA season, but OKC has found a way to deal with them in the form of the league’s best player.

Oklahoma City hopes for all of its players to be back to good health sooner rather than later, but there’s no need to force it when Gilgeous-Alexander continues to have nights like this.