Shai Gilgeous-Alexander brought his A-game on Monday night in a huge clash against the Denver Nuggets. The Oklahoma City Thunder were down a few key players, but in the end, Gilgeous-Alexander being at his best was enough to ward off the Nuggets.
Try as Denver might, Gilgeous-Alexander was simply too much to handle, as he scored 35 points, hauled in nine rebounds, and dished the rock 15 times to go along with the game-winning triple to secure a 129-126 win for OKC.
The Nuggets were a bit conservative with their coverage of Gilgeous-Alexander, and the reigning MVP made them pay as a result. In fact, Gilgeous-Alexander was so composed and so in control that he did not turn the ball over once on the night even though he was handling the rock on nearly every possession he was on the floor for the Thunder.
In so doing, Gilgeous-Alexander became just the second player in NBA history to record at least 35 points and 15 assists in a single game without turning the ball over, as per ESPN Insights on X. He joined LeBron James (2018) as the only players to do so throughout the course of the league, including postseason games.
Many would say that the 2018 version of James is his peak, and who knows, perhaps when people look back at the 2026 version of the Thunder star, they will also see that he was at his best at that time as well.
There is no stopping the Thunder
The Thunder may have shown some signs of weakness earlier in the season, but that scarcely matters now. They now know what it takes to win, and it always helps to have the best player on the floor playing for your team every single night.
OKC remains the team to beat, and it's thanks to Gilgeous-Alexander that it would be extremely tough to dethrone the Thunder.
