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With Sunday’s game knotted at 113 in the final frame, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Houston Rockets veteran Dillon Brooks tied up in a jump ball that led both teams’ respective security onto the floor. Gilgeous-Alexander extended his streak of scoring 28-plus points to nine straight. However, it came in a losing effort. The Rockets snapped the tie with 53 seconds left, eventually breaking the Thunder’s four-game win streak in a 119-116 win.
Still, many wondered how heated things got between Gilgeous-Alexander and Brooks in a jump ball that forced security to separate players in the final minute. After the game, SGA confirmed there were no hard feelings between the two, per Thunder Wire’s Clemente Almanza.
“Jumpball. Nothing else,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
It’s the response most anticipated, considering Gilgeous-Alexander and Brooks are teammates of Canada’s men’s national basketball team and were smiling after the teams were separated. Still, at the moment, it was quite the scene at a crucial point in the game’s final frame. In a battle between the two top teams in the Western Conference, the Thunder and Rockets didn’t disappoint in one of the most entertaining games in 2024-25.
Fred VanVleet connected on a deep 30-foot three that tied the game at 113 before Dillon Brooks broke the tie following his jump ball against Gilgeous-Alexander. Shai’s step-back jumper, which would have tied the game, bounced off the rim. VanVleet scored 12 fourth-quarter points en route to a game-high 38.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 32 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Jalen Williams scored 10 of his 22 points in the final frame and dished out seven assists, and Isaiah Hartenstein secured his fifth consecutive double-double (19 points, 13 rebounds).
Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander extends 30+ point streak
All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder finished their four-game road trip 3-1, with their star point guard scoring 30-plus points in each outing. Gilgeous-Alexander named Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson last week as players he emulated growing up. He has been scoring at a similar rate to the Hall of Fame guards’ best years.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 35.0 points on 52.6% shooting in a challenging four-game road trip. He’s also been getting to the free-throw line more often. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 9-of-11 against the Rockets and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe in the Thunder’s 101-93 win against the Lakers.
The Thunder beat the Kings, Warriors, and the Lakers before losing to the Rockets. On Tuesday, they’ll return home to play the Jazz in an NBA Cup matchup at the Paycom Center.
