It took nearly four quarters for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to score 20 points for the 128th straight game. It only took him halfway through the third quarter to hit 20 Tuesday and keep two streaks alive.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 40 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Orlando Magic, 113-108, for their ninth straight win. With the win, the Thunder are the first team to clinch a playoff spot. It was a tight battle that SGA took over late, with nine points, a steal and an assist on a game-sealing and-one in the last 3:11 of the game.
Oklahoma City Thunder needed all of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s points
In his previous game, SGA was in danger of losing his record streak of games with 20-plus points, with only 10 points in the first 40 minutes. Tuesday, foul trouble for Isaiah Hartenstein in the third quarter caused the Thunder to play a small lineup. That unlocked Gilgeous-Alexander, who poured in 19 points in the quarter on 8-of-10 shooting.
Despite his reputation, only one of those 19 points came via the foul line. It helped that Chet Holmgren grabbed six rebounds in the quarter and Jaylin Williams grabbed three boards and sank two threes. Meanwhile, Paolo Banchero took advantage of the wide-open court as well, scoring 15 points to keep the Magic close.