The Oklahoma City Thunder fell short by the skin of their teeth on Monday night, as they lost a one-point heartbreaker to the Chicago Bulls, 111-110.

The Thunder climbed back from a massive 28-point deficit in the third quarter to keep things interesting in the final frame. Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was once again at the forefront of the late-game surge. He had a chance to send the game into overtime but his three-pointer in the dying seconds caromed out.

SGA finished with 31 points, 10 assists, and three steals in yet another stellar showing. Despite the loss, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault had to tip his hat to his floor general (via ESPN).

“I think he's been on a nice run here for a while. He's had a couple of lower output games mixed in there, but I feel like he played with really good balance tonight. That was a really efficient 31 points tonight. He got to the line a ton. He made the right passes, got his teammates shots and played with pace up the floor and played with pace inside the action, which makes it harder for the defense to help on him.”

For sure, Daigneault isn't the only NBA coach to notice how Gilgeous-Alexander has once again upped his play this season. Despite their losing record, Thunder fans would want to see SGA be named to his first All-Star Game, and opposing coaches could pick him as one of the reserves.

Realistically though, SGA's cracking the midseason spectacle sounds like a long shot with the deep competition in the guard spots. Still, there's always hope, right?