Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander likely just won back-to-back NBA MVPs.
On Monday night, the reigning champion Thunder hosted the Denver Nuggets for the second time in 11 days. Oklahoma City defeated Denver 127-121 in overtime on Feb. 27, and Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, is the only reason they didn’t go to overtime again.
With five seconds left in regulation, Gilgeous-Alexander pulled up from three and drained the game-winning dagger.
After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters he’d rank this performance among the best regular-season performances in his eight-year NBA career. “Super fun tonight,” he said, per Brandon Rahbar.
Entering Monday’s action, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.6 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.4 rebounds across 53 games. SGA was already the odds-on favorite to win the 2026 NBA MVP, but this felt like his MVP moment to seal the deal. To make it even more special, Gilgeous-Alexander tied Wilt Chamberlain for an all-time record that has stood since 1963.
Against the Nuggets, the 27-year-old logged 35 points, 15 assists, and nine rebounds on 14-of-21 shooting from the field. By scoring 35, Gilgeous-Alexander tied Chamberlain’s record of 126 consecutive games with at least 20 points. The critics who call SGA a “foul merchant” will be upset to learn he only went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. His chance to break Chamberlain’s record will come on Thursday against the Boston Celtics in what could be a 2026 NBA Finals preview.
“It’s still a lot to even wrap my head around,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of tying Chamberlain, according to Brandon Rahbar. “To be honest, I try not to think about it. Especially during the season. Being in a conversation with a guy like that, it’s special.”
Alexander also joined Los Angeles Lakers legend LeBron James as the only two players in NBA history to have 35 points, 15 assists, and zero turnovers in a game since 1977-78, including the playoffs, according to ESPN.
Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder can enter even more rarified air by becoming the first back-to-back champions since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.
