Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stretched his 28-point scoring streak in a 101-93 win against the Los Angeles Lakers. His game-high 36 points, including a late fourth-quarter three, kept the Thunder ahead for good en route to their fourth consecutive win. After the win, a reporter asked Gilgeous-Alexander which players he looked up to growing up, and Shai settled on Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson.

Jordan and Iverson inspired a young Shai to evolve into the NBA star he is today.

“I honestly can’t pick a guy I’ve honed down and said I want my game to be like that. I’ve just gone with the flow. Whatever’s worked for me has worked for me, and I just try to build on it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I’ve tried to watch Kobe. Obviously, it’s hard to emulate the stuff he’s [done]. A.I. [Allen Iverson] a little bit. Those two guys, I would say, I’ve tried to watch the most. But, at the end of the day, it’s whatever works for me, whatever feels comfortable, and whatever flows for my game.”

Gilgeous-Alexander made 13-of-28 attempts, including 3-for-10 from deep and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. After not taking a single trip to the charity stripe in the first half, SGA continued to attack the rim in the second, and it paid dividends in making trips to the free-throw line.

“A lot of my game has just been feeling, and growing up, I had the ball in my hands really young. I wasn’t that good early, but I always had the ball in my hands,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I was taught how to play really well. That foundation, and then, being smaller growing up, I had to really figure out how to score and play using angles. And then, my game has just rounded out through work, and picking spots that I can get to, and trying to be able to make shots from those spots. And then, just being confident from there.”

You can see Michael Jordan in SGA's clutch fourth-quarter offense, while his Allen Iverson side allows him to knock down shots from anywhere on the floor at a high rate.

Isaiah Hartenstein on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s defensive effort

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Amid Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein’s streak of double-double performances, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams make things easier for the veteran center. Their attention to detail on defense set the example for the Thunder.

For Hartenstein and the Thunder, it’s led to becoming one the best defensive teams in the NBA.

“Both stars, Dub and Shai, being unselfish but also defensively,” Hartenstein said. “I don’t think I’ve really seen it that much that both stars are locked in defensively, and that’s been great.”

The Thunder close out their four-game road trip against the Rockets on Sunday.