Monday's game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers went down to the wire. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit a baseline jumper as the final buzzer sounded to give the Thunder a 123-121 victory. This buzzer-beater shot by Gilgeous-Alexander put him in the history books and in some esteemed company.
Gilgeous-Alexander's game-winner versus the Blazers on Monday marked his third go-ahead field goal in the final two seconds of regulation or overtime this season, per ESPN Stats' Twitter account.
The only player who scored more of these baskets in a season over the past 25 years was none other than the late, great Kobe Bryant, who made four back in the 2009-10 campaign.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 24, is in his fifth season in the NBA and fourth with the Thunder after spending his rookie year with the Clippers. He's averaging 31.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks across 28 appearances. One area where Gilgeous-Alexander has grown leaps and bounds in year five is his free-throw shooting ability. Not only is he getting to the charity stripe a career-high 10.2 times per contest, but he's also converting an extraordinary 93.3% of his free throws, the best percentage in the league.
Gilgeous-Alexander would likely be one of the early frontrunners to win the MVP award if the Thunder owned a better record. But even though the team is unlikely to qualify for the postseason in 2022-23, the Thunder have a bright future ahead of them, with Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way. Oklahoma City has the talent necessary to compete for a playoff spot as soon as next season.
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