Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having the best season of his career and is currently the frontrunner to win MVP. SGA has the OKC Thunder running like a well-oiled machine at 36-8 despite the absence of Chet Holmgren for the majority of the season.
The Thunder visited the Moda Center on Sunday night to take on the Portland Trail Blazers. SGA started alongside Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein. But how did the Canadian star perform tonight against Portland?
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points, five rebounds and three steals as the Thunder defeated the Blazers 118-108. He went 12-for-25 from the field, including 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. He also didn’t miss any of his nine attempts from the free throw line.
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Here are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s stats for the game:
How did Shai Gilgeous-Alexander perform tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers?
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 12 points in the first quarter, but the game was tied at 27 after the first 12 minutes. It was a shocking period since the Portland Trail Blazers went up by as much as 10 points twice before the OKC Thunder came crawling back to keep the game from getting out of hand.
In the second quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander added just five points to his tally although the rest of the Thunder dominated. Jalen Williams also scored 17 points at the half, while Isaiah Joe scored 11 off the bench. The hosts were down 66-53 at halftime.
SGA scored 11 points in the third quarter as the Thunder continued to keep the Blazers at bay with a double-digit lead. Portland trimmed it to as low as seven points, but the visitors were just too good to let their advantage vanish.
The fourth quarter got a little close early on with the Blazers making it a five-point game. However, the Thunder brought back their starters and it was all over again with a quick run doubling the lead immediately. SGA added seven more points as Oklahoma City now owns the best record in the NBA at 37-8.
What’s next for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder?
The OKC Thunder continue their road trip on Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company are out for revenge against a recently hapless Warriors team struggling for consistency.
After their short two-game trip, the Thunder are back at Paycom Center for a four-game homestand. They will welcome the Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors from Feb. 1 to Feb. 7.
-SGA has an opportunity to further give himself the advantage in the MVP race over Nikola Jokic, who is arguably having the best season of his career as well.
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Edited by Juan Paolo David
