Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his first game with fewer than 20 points in nearly two years, finishing with 17 in Thursday night's 96-84 home win over the Denver Nuggets. The performance snapped his NBA-record streak of 20-point games, which had stretched across 141 regular-season games since October 30, 2024.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 32 points against San Antonio on Tuesday, shot just 6 of 19 from the field against Denver. With Oklahoma City leading 93-76 and 1:43 remaining, he could have checked back in to score three more points and extend the streak. Instead, he asked coach Mark Daigneault to sub him out. "You always treat the game with respect," Gilgeous-Alexander said.
Daigneault said he wanted to keep his star in the game because a "historic streak" was on the line, but he praised the decision. "I just think of the class that it shows and the perspective that it shows for him," Daigneault said. "And of all the things that I admire about him, that's toward the top of the list."
The two-time reigning MVP missed all seven of his first-half shots, and the Thunder trailed by as many as nine points before recovering. Jalen Williams scored 21 points and Chet Holmgren added 12 points and 17 rebounds for Oklahoma City, while Aaron Gordon led Denver with 20 points.
Source: ESPN NBA · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing