How Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Reacted to Making History for OKC Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pump-faked, surveyed, then pump-faked again. Without much movement from the defender, he decided to simply hoist the shot.

It was just one shot, but encapsulated months, years and potentially decades worth of work. It would give him 21 points against the Celtics, helping to break legend Wilt Chamberlain’s longstanding record of 20-points with 127-straight games.

The streak dates all the way back to a Nov. 1, 2024, bout with the Trail Blazers, where he scored 30 points to help the Thunder leave Portland with a 17-point win.

Since then, Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t seen a regular-season game with less than 20 points, using the guise of consistency to dole out dominance. Even amid one of the best individual accomplishments of his career, he was focused on winning.

“None of the things I accomplish would matter if we weren’t winning," Gilgeous-Alexander said following the game. “A streak is a streak, the awards are the awards, but the thing I’m most proud of is winning — it's why you play the game, I was crying when I was nine years old because I lost an OBA championship. It's why you play the game,

“We’ve won throughout the streak, most importantly. I just had so much fun playing basketball. Probably because we’ve been doing a lot of winning."

Chamberlain accomplished his own feat in the 1961-63 seasons, doing so again across 1963-1964. In a win over Boston on Thursday night, SGA would meet the mark on just nine attempts from the field, having registered six assists and five rebounds to boot. He would finish with 35 points on 13-for-18 shooting, including a mid-range jumper within the final minute of the game that would help OKC to leave with the win.

On most nights, the reigning MVP takes what the defense gives him, usually to the tune of 31.7 points per game. His rare blend of fluidity, handling and shot-making is a lethal combination that’s proved him one of the best guard scorers of the generation.

Other nights, like Monday’s bout with the Nuggets, that means setting up his teammates. Even in tying a scoring record, he was able to register 15 assists to zero turnovers, becoming just the second player ever behind LeBron James to do so with 35 points.

Following the game, he also reflected on his NBA transformation as a whole.

"I’m a completely different player, obviously," SGA said. "I’ve had a lot of luck with great people in my corner — it takes a village to accomplish great things. Without them I wouldn’t be the player or man I am today, it’s more than just me."

Gilgeous-Alexander is now amid another MVP campaign, averaging 31.7 points on 55% shooting, with 6.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals as well. He's currently the front-runner to win the award again, with his odds having sky-rocketed after the Thunder's third win over Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.

OKC currently stands as the top team in the league, with a 3.5-game lead over San Antonio for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.