Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Big First Quarters Sparking OKC Thunder

The Thunder's star guard is wasting no time to make an impact this season.

Dec 7, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots against New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City has been among the best in the league, and its star player always seems to get things started. 

On Saturday, the Thunder improved to 18-5 with a win in New Orleans to stay atop the West and continue their quest for the No. 1 seed. Although the Thunder only won by 10, they led by as much as 30 in the first half.

While there were plenty of reasons behind the Thunder’s success in the opening minutes, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hot start is at the forefront. Against the Pelicans, he had 16 points in the first frame and shot 7-of-7 from the field.

That was Gilgeous-Alexander’s highest-scoring quarter this season and is among the best first-quarter performances in the league. His seven shots without a miss in the first quarter tied him with Cam Thomas, De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama for the most makes without a miss in a single quarter this season.

Saturday’s performance was far from an anomaly for Gilgeous-Alexander. This season, he has averaged 8.2 points in the first quarter, which is good for seventh in the league. And while he has struggled to find his stroke from beyond the arc, the MVP candidate is shooting 64.4% on 2-point shots in the first quarter.

This season, Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 10 points in the first quarter in seven games, tying him for fourth-most. He is not the only Thunder player to have some good starts this season, with Jalen Williams having three such quarters.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s big first quarters aren’t new this season, as he finished third in the league in first-quarter scoring in each of the past two seasons. It shouldn’t be any surprise that Gilgeous-Alexander has been among the most consistent players in the league again this season. And with how he assets the tone every night with his first-quarter scoring, the Thunder are almost always in a great position to win after 12 minutes.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.