Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes NBA history, ties Oscar Robertson streak of 20-point games

Another day, another 20-point game for Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who tied Oscar Robertson for the third-longest streak of 20-point games in NBA history with the Thunder’s 137-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans Sunday night. The only remaining name ahead of the NBA’s reigning regular-season and finals MVP? Wilt Chamberlain, of course.

In just under a calendar year, Gilgeous-Alexander has gone from being a well-recognized bucket to one of the most distinctive scorers ever, largely due to his knack for reaching his spots on the court and playing at his own pace. He entered this season with 72 20-point games in a row, tied with Kevin Durant and Michael Jordan.

As the Thunder’s current leading man continues honing his craft, it’s worth noting that the 27-year-old is in the early stages of sporting the best scoring profile of his career. According to NBA.com, he entered Sunday shooting 75 percent in the restricted area and 48.8 percent on midrange shots.

Gilgeous-Alexander will have an opportunity to pass Robertson on this list on Tuesday, when the Thunder visit the LA Clippers in a matchup Gilgeous-Alexander routinely admits he relishes. In Netflix’s ‘Starting 5’ docu-series, Gilgeous-Alexander admitted that he looks forward to playing against the team with which he broke into the NBA in 2018, when his draft rights were traded from the Charlotte Hornets to the Clippers. LA then traded the reigning MVP to Oklahoma City in 2019 in exchange for Paul George.

Since then, the Thunder have the NBA’s 10th-best record, including a league-best 77.2 win percentage in the last three seasons. The defending champions are off to a 7-0 start this season, marking the best single-season start by a reigning champ since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors started the season 24-0 en route to a league-record 73 wins.