In his second game since his abdominal injury, All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 100-87 win against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. Gilgeous-Alexander guided the Thunder's 16-point comeback in Friday's 127-121 win against the Denver Nuggets before watching his team close out the victory in overtime.
In Sunday's game, Gilgeous-Alexander followed up his 36 points in 34 minutes against the Nuggets with a 30-point performance against the Mavericks in Sunday's win, and gave reporters an injury update during his postgame media availability.
“Good,” Gilgeous-Alexander replied. “I ramped up the workouts leading up to the games I knew I was coming back. The guys that helped me in the workouts did a pretty good job of making them game legs. So, I feel pretty good. Cardio-wise I don't feel like I missed a beat.”
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting, five assists, four rebounds, and four steals in 33 minutes.
Mark Daigneault on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Thunder win
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault spoke to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander about his minutes restriction ahead of his return in Friday's matchup against the Nuggets. With eyes on Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain's streak of scoring 20+ points for 126 consecutive games, Gilgeous-Alexander tied Chamberlain's 59-game record of 20+ point games on the road.
Daigneault discussed Gilgeous-Alexander's streak as a testament to his consistent approach for the Thunder.
“There's really no difference in his game, home or road. I think that's a certain level some guys get to,” Daigneault said. “It's just their ability to consistently perform in all of the environments. We have a lot of guys like that within their role, but he's certainly one of them.”
Gilgeous-Alexander extended his streak of scoring 20+ points to 123 consecutive games.
