Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stands alone.
The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player has surpassed Hall of Fame icon Wilt Chamberlain for consecutive games with at least 20 points scored, with 127. Gilgeous-Alexander set the mark Thursday, March 12 with a jumper from near the top of the key midway through the third quarter of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s game against the Boston Celtics, an eventual 104-102 Thunder victory.
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Playing in front of his home crowd, the fans in attendance anticipated the record when Gilgeous-Alexander caught the ball before erupting in cheers when he swished it. The public address announcer at the Paycom Center announced the record, and a graphic on the Jumbotron commemorated the moment.
“None of the things I accomplish would matter if we weren’t winning,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters after the game. “I probably wouldn’t have the streak if we weren’t winning. I know that and I understand that. It’s why you play the game. I was crying when I was nine years old because I lost an (Ontario Basketball Association) championship. You don’t want to lose.
“The streak is the streak. The awards are the awards. But the thing I’m most proud of is winning.”
He finished the game with 35 points on an extremely efficient 13-of-18 shooting night, adding 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals.
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Gilgeous-Alexander got off to a somewhat slow start early in the first quarter, though he did finish the period with 10 points after he attacked the rim and got to the line. He shot 2-of-3 from the field in the period, converting 5-of-6 free throws in the first. He added 7 points in the second period as Oklahoma City tried to cut Boston’s lead before the end of the first half.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored just 4 points in the third quarter, as the Celtics continued to blitz him with double-teams to try to force the ball out of his hands. His 8 assists through three quarters led all players.
He came alive in the fourth, adding 14 points in the period to close out what was a tightly-contested, back-and-forth game. Gilgeous-Alexander scored six of Oklahoma City’s final eight points to help put Boston away.
“I’ve reflected on it,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said after the game. “You get lost in the season and you take for granted what you’re watching every night, but No. 1: he’s surgical at his craft — no one is more precise with their craft than he is. And No. 2: the whole life of the streak has not prevented us from having a ton of team success and hasn’t prevented his teammates from having success, either. …
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“And then, great father, great husband, great teammate. Treats everybody in the building, from top to bottom, with dignity. So, obviously, he’s a great basketball player. But he’s the kind of person you couldn’t be happier for.”
A four-time All-Star, Gilgeous-Alexander, 27, entered the night ranked second in the NBA in scoring with 31.7 points per game, trailing only Lakers guard Luka Dončić.
One of the more consistent players in the NBA, Gilgeous-Alexander tied Chamberlain on March 9 when the Thunder topped the Denver Nuggets. In that game, he dropped 35 points, 15 assists and 9 rebounds and laced the eventual game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds.
The record signals both Gilgeous-Alexander’s availability and steady production; the last time he failed to surpass 20 points in a game came early last season, on Oct. 30, 2024, when he scored 18 in a victory against the Spurs.
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Gilgeous-Alexander and Chamberlain are the only two players in NBA history to have a 20-point scoring streak of at least 100 games. The following players on the list are Chamberlain again (92), Oscar Robertson (79), Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant (72) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (71).
Chamberlain, however, was pouring in the points during his best streak. Over those 126 games, he averaged 49.2 points per game. The streak began Oct. 19, 1961 and ended Jan. 19, 1963, after Chamberlain was ejected just four minutes into a game.
Another area where Gilgeous-Alexander has surpassed Chamberlain during their respective streaks is in the win-loss column. After Thursday night’s game against Boston, the Thunder have gone 103-24 in games when Gilgeous-Alexander reached at least 20 points; Chamberlain’s Warriors went just 66-60 during his streak.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander breaks Wilt Chamberlain NBA points record
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