Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reveals ‘respect’ reason why he gave up 20-point streak vs. Nuggets appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a chance to keep his historic 20-point streak alive against the Denver Nuggets. He chose to sit down instead. The Oklahoma City Thunder star finished with 17 points in a 96-84 win over the Nuggets on Thursday night at Paycom Center.
That ended his NBA-record run of 141 straight regular-season games with at least 20 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander had a tough night from the start. He did not make a field goal in the first half, with his only points coming on two free throws.
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He picked it up after the break, scoring seven points in the third quarter as the Thunder came back from a nine-point deficit. In the fourth quarter, he made a push to reach 20. His 3-pointer with 1:44 left forced a Nuggets timeout.
Denver then pulled its starters, and the Thunder followed suit by subbing out all of theirs, including Gilgeous-Alexander. He was just three points shy of extending the streak.
After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander explained his decision to check out, via Brandon Rahbar.
“I was gonna go out there. And then I saw that they had subbed. So I thought we should sub too. You always treat the game with respect,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
It was a classy move from the two-time MVP, who put the unwritten rules of the game ahead of a personal record that had spanned nearly two seasons. Many players would have stayed on the floor to chase the milestone, but Gilgeous-Alexander made it clear the game came first.
The streak began on Nov. 1, 2024. His last game below 20 points before Thursday came on Oct. 30, 2024, when he scored 18 against the San Antonio Spurs.
Gilgeous-Alexander passed Wilt Chamberlain’s 126-game mark on March 12, 2026, against the Boston Celtics and pushed the record to 141 games.
Jalen Williams picked up the slack against Denver with a team-high 21 points. Chet Holmgren posted 12 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks, while Ajay Mitchell added 12 points and five steals.
The Thunder defense also smothered Nikola Jokic, who scored 13 points on 5-of-19 shooting. Jamal Murray had six points and 10 rebounds.
Oklahoma City improved to 2-0 with the win in its home opener. Gilgeous-Alexander will look to start a new streak when the Thunder take the floor again.
Related: Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s record 141-game 20-point streak snapped in win over Nuggets
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