NBA
MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores first career 50-point game
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All posts by Oliver TalikuUpdated23 Jan 2025
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added another important milestone to his C.V. on Wednesday night, scoring his first 50-point game in a win over Utah.
Career-High Game For Shai
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was unstoppable on Wednesday night, scoring a career high 54-points during OKC’s home win over Utah.
The current MVP favorite had just 23 of his points in the first half, with 31 coming in the second half as the Thunder really pushed on to win their second game in a row.
The two-time NBA All-Star shot a career-high 35 field goals, making 17 attempts for 48.6% shooting. Gilgeous-Alexander also made three shots from behind the arc, ending a streak of six games with just one three pointer made.
Even when he got to the free throw line Shai was still impossible to stop, making 17/18 shots from the line, another season-high.
The former University of Kentucky superstar is averaging a career-high 32.0 points per game, along with 6.1 assists and 5.4 rebounds in what has been comfortably the 26-year-old’s best season to date.
Gilgeous-Alexander now stands alone at the top of the MVP ladder, with most NBA betting sites favoring the OKC star to win the title at a short price of -600.
WATCH: Every Point From Shai’s 54-Point Game
Shai Remains Humble
Speaking after the game, Gilgeous-Alexander was typically humble about his career-high 54 points and he played off the achievement like it was nothing.
“Tried to be aggressive, tried to make the right basketball play and from there [I] just trusted the work, [it was] no different from any other night.” Shai said. “Had a few more points tonight, but nothing special.”
“I feel like I wasn’t my best tonight regardless of what the scoreboard says,” SGA said in the press conference after the game. “I feel like I’ve had better games this season.”
Despite not being impressed with his own performance, Shai was still grateful for the OKC fans who were chanting ‘MVP’ throughout his career-high game.
“They feel good every time I get them. I don’t take them for granted.”
