Monday night at the Paycom Center, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, dished 15 assists without a turnover, hit a step-back three over Spencer Jones with 3.3 seconds left to win the game, and joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to score at least 20 points in 126 consecutive games. The Thunder beat the Nuggets 129-126.
The record itself — 126 straight games of 20 or more points — was set by Chamberlain between 1961 and 1963 and had stood untouched for over 60 years. No player has come within 35 games of it. Not Jordan. Not Kobe. Not LeBron. The fact that it existed as a benchmark at all was something most basketball fans didn't know until SGA started making it relevant again, when his streak began on November 1, 2024.
The comparison to Chamberlain is instructive in one specific way: Wilt's streak came with a 49.2 points-per-game average. SGA is doing this at roughly 32 per game. That's not a knock — it speaks to a different kind of scoring dominance. Chamberlain was volume at the expense of almost everything else. SGA is doing this while leading the league-best Thunder (51-15) and chasing a second consecutive MVP. He is on pace to become only the first player since Michael Jordan in 1993 to put up four straight 30-point seasons.
He can break the record outright Thursday against the Celtics, at home, on national television. The stage is set.
Comments