Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Rests MVP Case With Game-Winner vs. Nikola Jokić’s Nuggets

Monday night’s heavyweight bout between the Thunder and Nuggets felt a lot like the postseason.

The best players in the world and the NBA’s top two MVP candidates, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić, were pitted against each other in a contest that award voters would certainly remember. Neither superstar disappointed, but it was Gilgeous-Alexander and Oklahoma City who got the last laugh.

As the game was tied at 126 with 8.5 seconds left, SGA got the ball and had to create some space with Nuggets forward Spencer Jones defending. He drove toward the break and stopped on a dime for a step-back three that went straight through the net. Aaron Gordon threw up a long heave as time expired, but it hit the backboard left of the iron and fell to the hardwood as Oklahoma City secured its third win over Denver in as many tries this season.

SGA GAME-WINNER VS. THE NUGGETS 🎯🔥 pic.twitter.com/KP6U0RXSW7
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 10, 2026

THIS ANGLE of Shai's game-winner on a historic night 🤯 https://t.co/H9yFR7cAHp pic.twitter.com/Ub8JNVl9l9
— NBA (@NBA) March 10, 2026

It was by far the biggest shot of the game and debatably the season for Gilgeous-Alexander, who tied Wilt Chamberlain’s record of most consecutive games with 20 or more points earlier in the night.

Jokić and Gilgeous-Alexander traded blows to end the game in what may have been the game of the year. With 31.2 seconds left, Jokić trimmed the Thunder’s lead to one with a clutch bucket near the hoop. SGA drained a three on the other end but Jokić quickly got it back on a play where Jamal Murray was fouled and sent to the free-throw line which tied the game at 126–126.

JOKIĆ AND SHAI DELIVER AN ENDING FOR THE AGES 🚨

Thunder top Nuggets in a GAME-OF-THE-YEAR contender 🍿 pic.twitter.com/Xjs7jfGyu9
— NBA (@NBA) March 10, 2026

From there, it felt like overtime was on the menu for the instant classic, but Gilgeous-Alexander provided a moment to remember as he took matters into his own hands. The big shot capped a 35-point, 15-assist night for SGA where he was one rebound shy of a triple-double. He went 3-for-7 from three with his biggest shots coming in the clutch.

Jokić had yet another triple-double, his 24th of the season, with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists. Despite the incredible performance, another loss to the Thunder as Gilgeous-Alexander dazzled could be enough to ice the MVP conversation. Oklahoma City and Denver meet one more time this season on April 10 in Denver.

A look at the NBA MVP race between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić

Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić were the top two NBA MVP candidates a season ago and this year is more of the same. The two superstars are in a different stratosphere than the rest of the competition. Detroit’s Cade Cunnngham could have an MVP case, but he doesn’t score enough to realistically surpass the top two. Lakers superstar Luka Dončić leads the NBA in scoring, but Los Angeles’s season isn’t good enough to put him in the SGA-Jokić level. Then, there’s Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama, who may have the next best case as San Antonio has been able to subdue Oklahoma City this year.

Still, though, it’s Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić, then everyone else. Gilgeous-Alexander is out in front of Jokić in scoring, then the Nuggets big man leads in nearly every other statistical category. The most important category is one where SGA remains in front, though: Wins. The Thunder–Nuggets results don’t tell the full story, but it does say something that SGA’s Thunder have been able to get the best of Jokić’s Nuggets each time they’ve met thus far over the season.

Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 34 or more points in each meeting with the Nuggets, all games where Jokić has been available. One standout mark SGA could reach in the MVP chase this year is the potential for a 50/40/90 season where he shoots 50% or better from the field, 40% or better from three-point range and 90% or better from the charity stripe. He has a bit of work to do from three and the foul line to get there, but the NBA hasn’t seen a 50/40/90 season from an MVP player in some time. The last MVP reach the feat was Steph Curry in 2016 and Dirk Nowitzki before that in ‘07.

Another discussion point in the NBA MVP race is the league’s dreaded 65 games rule. Jokić can only miss one more game the rest of the way due to missing extended time with a hyperextended knee earlier in the season. He hasn’t missed a game since his return from injury late January, but it’s worth monitoring the rest of the way. Gilgeous-Alexander recently missed nine games with an abdominal strain, but he remains ahead of Jokić in games played and should comfortably meet the requirement as long as he remains healthy.

Here’s a look at how Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić’s stats stack up against each other this season:

Player	Games played	Points per game	Assists per game	Rebounds per game	FG%	3P%	FT%
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	53	31.6	6.4	4.4	54.9%	38.1%	89.5%
Nikola Jokić	48	28.8	10.3	12.5	57.4%	39.1%	83.2%

In any awards race, there’s typically a moment that sticks out in the hunt for the honor at hand. With the historic performance and game winner against his biggest competition on Monday night, Gilgeous-Alexander had his MVP moment.

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