Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander etched his name alongside one of basketball's immortals Monday (March 9), tying Wilt Chamberlain's record of scoring at least 20 points in 126 consecutive games — then sealed the moment with a walk-off 3-pointer to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Denver Nuggets, 129-126, at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Gilgeous-Alexander tied Chamberlain's record — set between 1961 and 1963 — with a step-back 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 2:27 remaining in the third quarter. That was just the opening act.
With 3.3 seconds left and the game tied, the reigning MVP received the ball near half-court, surveyed the defense, and launched a step-back 3 over Denver's Spencer Jones to give the Thunder a lead they would not relinquish. He finished the night with 35 points and a career-high 15 assists — without committing a single turnover.
The performance was historically rare in more ways than one. ESPN Research notes that LeBron James is the only other player since turnovers became an official statistic in the 1977-78 season to record at least 35 points and 15 assists with zero turnovers in a single game. James did it with the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 21, 2018.
Gilgeous-Alexander outdueled Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, who posted a 32-point, 14-rebound, 13-assist triple-double but couldn't match the Thunder guard in the clutch. Jokic was generous in his praise after the final buzzer.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who also grabbed nine rebounds in the win, reflected on sharing a record with a legend — while admitting he tries not to dwell on personal milestones during the season.
"It's still a lot to even wrap my head around," he said. "To be honest with you, I try not to even think about it, especially during the season. So much is going on. But obviously, being in a conversation with a guy like that, it's special. It's crazy to think that, where I was 10 years ago, I'd be here today."
Chamberlain's record streak included scoring at least 20 points in every game of the 1961-62 season for the Philadelphia Warriors. The streak ended on January 20, 1963, when Chamberlain played just four minutes for the San Francisco Warriors against the St. Louis Hawks.
Gilgeous-Alexander's current streak began on November 1, 2024, and includes five games of at least 50 points, among them a career-high 55-point effort against the Indiana Pacers. The defending champion Thunder own the NBA's best record at 51-15.
SGA will have a chance to break the record outright and claim sole possession of the all-time mark when Oklahoma City hosts the Boston Celtics on Thursday (March 12) at 8:30 p.m. CT at Paycom Center.