By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reacted to his latest individual accomplishment the way he always does: by deflecting credit and pointing to team goals.
The Oklahoma City Thunder guard broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record for consecutive games with 20 points or more, extending his streak to 127 on Thursday night.
Most important to Gilgeous-Alexander, the defending champion Thunder are 103-24 during the run. He finished with 35 points and nine assists on Thursday as the Thunder beat the Boston Celtics 104-102.
“The streak is the streak, the awards are the awards,” he said. “But the thing I’m most proud of is winning.”
Gilgeous-Alexander hit two free throws in the third quarter to reach 19 points. With fans on their feet, Gilgeous-Alexander pump-faked several times and drilled a jumper over Baylor Scheierman from beyond the free-throw line with 7:04 left in the period to push his total to 21.
He said he kept up with his totals as a younger player, but not anymore. He learned how close he was by listening to the fans.
“I didn’t know exactly how many,” he said of his point total right before he set the record. “But once I heard the crowd, I was like, ‘OK.'”
Chamberlain’s record had stood since 1963, and early on, it looked like Gilgeous-Alexander might struggle to break it. He didn’t score until halfway through the first quarter, but he had 10 points by the end of the period and 17 at halftime.
Gilgeous-Alexander won his first MVP award last season, and his consistency could lead to a repeat. He won the scoring title last season and ranks second in scoring this year. Oklahoma City has the league’s best record.
Coach Mark Daigneault credited Gilgeous-Alexander for staying focused.
“Surgical in his craft,” he said. “No one is more precise with their craft than he is. Number 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. So an individual streak that’s about scoring has not come at the expense of the team or his teammates.”
Chamberlain scored at least 20 in 126 straight games from 1961 to 1963. He had 20 or more in every game of the 1961-62 season for the Philadelphia Warriors, which included his record 100-point game in 1962. Chamberlain’s streak ended on Jan. 20, 1963, when he was ejected after just four minutes for the San Francisco Warriors against the St. Louis Hawks.
Gilgeous-Alexander tied the record on Monday, when he scored 35 points against the Denver Nuggets. He also had a career-high 15 assists and nine rebounds and hit the decisive 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
That means he had 24 assists combined in two games as he tried to break a scoring record.
“I have great teammates, it’s no secret,” he said. “Basketball is a five-man sport. You can’t win by yourself. It has to be a great team, great role players, a great co-star and a great coach. And I think we have all of those people. It’s not just me out there being great.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has five games with at least 50 points during the run, including a career-high 55-point effort against the Indiana Pacers in the second game of this season. He was last held under 20 when he scored 18 on Oct. 30, 2024, against San Antonio.
Gilgeous-Alexander passed Chamberlain’s second-best streak of 92 games earlier this season.
It’s been a week of scoring feats in the NBA. Miami’s Bam Adebayo scored 83 points on Tuesday, the second most behind Chamberlain’s 100-point game.
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