OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault had a somewhat surprising response to Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s career-high 54 points in Wednesday’s win against the Utah Jazz. Daigneault told reporters that Gilgeous-Alexander’s career night didn’t feel all that different.
Compared to his better games this season, Daigneault admitted he’s seen better from his All-Star point guard.
“Not really. It didn’t feel much different,” Daigneault said. “Basketball is an efficiency game. The NBA’s figured that out. It’s what you do with your possessions. It’s not just about the counting stats. He’s been an efficient scorer and an efficient player on two ends of the floor for a long, long time and has been ridiculously consistent with that for years now. So, like I said, he got the number tonight, but it didn’t feel any different.”
Gilgeous-Alexander shared a similar take as head coach Mark Daigneault during his postgame media availability on his career night.
“I feel like I wasn’t my best tonight, regardless of what the scoreboard says,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I feel like I could have did better — offensively, shot-making, a little bit, and on a couple of reads. But that comes with the game; you’re not going to be perfect all the time. I’ve had better games this season, even though it didn’t look like it on the scoresheet. That’s just me chasing growth as opposed to an outcome, and that’s where that comes from.”
While Gilgeous-Alexander’s impressive fourth-quarter performance led the Thunder to victory, Daigneault says it didn’t feel much different than his other tremendous scoring night this season.
“He showed good poise and confidence on a night where he was close to that number (50 points),” Daigneault said. “I didn’t think his offense tonight felt much different from some other nights.”




Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s honest admission after scoring 54 points

Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addressed his 54-point performance in Wednesday’s 123-114 win against the Jazz. Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 13 of his 54 points down the stretch, closed the door on a potential comeback for the Jazz.
However, Gilgeous-Alexander admitted it didn’t feel like he reached a career-high 54 points.
“It did not,” Gilgeous-Alexander replied. “It felt like I could have had a lot more. I know it’s going to sound very spoiled, but I feel like I didn’t have that great of a night. I left a few on the table. But there’s room to improve, and that’s a good thing.”
Gilgeous-Alexander’s 54 points led all five Thunder starters in double figures.