Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now has his fair share of doubters, as many call into question the legitimacy of some of the point he scores due to his foul-baiting ways. But no one should ever doubt that the Oklahoma City Thunder star is at the top of his game at the moment. On Tuesday night, Gilgeous-Alexander delivered another signature performance, putting up 30 points and 12 assists to lead the Thunder to their eighth straight win to begin the year, 126-107 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been so consistently great that the Thunder seemingly have not missed Jalen Williams one bit as the Thunder's All-Star wing continues to recover from multiple wrist surgeries. He scored 20 or more points for the 80th consecutive outing, which is simply a glimpse into how reliable of a superstar he is.
Just to add even more feathers onto the Thunder star's cap, he became the first player ever in NBA history to score 250 points and drop 80 assists while winning their first eight games of the season, as per OptaSTATS on X (formerly Twitter).
This is sheer brilliance in display for Gilgeous-Alexander, who is at the peak of his career at 27 years of age. His development into arguably the best player in the league is phenomenal and speaks volumes to how legendary his work ethic is — paying off in the form of an NBA title, a regular-season MVP, and perhaps most importantly, the NBA Finals award.
The Thunder are the favorite to win it all yet again, and Gilgeous-Alexander's consistent brilliance continues to be the engine that powers this unstoppable OKC machine. They have such a complete team, and their defense already ranks first in the league in terms of points allowed per 100 possessions.
Alas, with the way the schedule is set up, OKC could have a tough time maintaining their unbeaten streak.
Thunder put unbeaten start on the line on Wednesday against the gritty Trail Blazers
Sure, the Blazers are coming off a dispiriting defeat against a shorthanded Lakers squad that was missing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. But this should just light a fire underneath these prideful Blazers.
The Thunder are also traveling to Portland after defeating the Clippers at Intuit Dome, and that is simply a lot of wear and tear for anyone to handle, even OKC.
Can Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder withstand what is surely going to be a tough Blazers effort to extend their undefeated start on the year to nine games?
