On November 1, 2024, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s victory over the Portland Trail Blazers with a score of 137-114. Although at that moment it was not a particularly outstanding performance, given that Gilgeous-Alexander had averaged 30.1 points per game the previous season, on his way to being runner-up in the MVP voting, that game marked the beginning of a historic feat.After 16 months, that game takes on a transcendental importance, as it began a streak of 126 games for a player who has since been awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award of the regular season, named Finals MVP and has equaled a 63-year-old record.This Thursday night, against the Boston Celtics, Gilgeous-Alexander will seek to score at least 20 points for the 127th consecutive game, counting from that night in Portland. If he achieves this, he will surpass the legend Wilt Chamberlain, thus establishing the longest streak of this type in NBA history.
My whole life is consistent, everything I do.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
To commemorate this consistency, we present the most impressive statistics of Gilgeous-Alexander’s historic 20-point streak.
- The first surprise is that Gilgeous-Alexander approached Chamberlain’s record. Nobody else had achieved it. Second place belonged to Chamberlain, with 92 games.
- Third place is held by Oscar Robertson with 79 games.
In the 21st century, Kevin Durant is the only player who has come close to Chamberlain’s mark, with a streak of 72 games. Kobe Bryant reached 63 consecutive games between December 2005 and November 2006.Gilgeous-Alexander’s streak is not the result of a trend, but a superlative achievement of the current MVP.In the last two years, players named to the All-Star team have scored more than 20 points in 71% of their games. The probability of an All-Star reaching 20 points in 126 consecutive games is approximately 1 in 3.2 quintillion.Gilgeous-Alexander has demonstrated his excellence in all areas of the court. He has distributed his points evenly across the five main areas of the offense, with percentages ranging from 16% to 25%.Gilgeous-Alexander has improved his game. His three-point shooting percentage has increased to 39.3% since last year’s All-Star break, matching stellar shooters like Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Edwards, Desmond Bane, and Klay Thompson.It has also improved within the arc, with 60.1% effectiveness in its two-point shots this season, the best mark for a guard in NBA history (with a minimum of 10 attempts per game).With a 66.7% true shooting percentage, Gilgeous-Alexander ranks second in the historical list of 30-point scorers. Only Stephen Curry, with 66.9% in the 2015-16 season, has a higher percentage.Gilgeous-Alexander averages only 2.1 turnovers per game this season, the lowest recorded for a player averaging 30 points per game. The previous record was also held by him, with 2.2 turnovers in the 2023-24 season.Since the start of last season, Gilgeous-Alexander leads the league in 20-point games and 30-point games, with 86.In addition, he is tied for the most 40-point games since the start of last season, with 18, along with Anthony Edwards.He also leads the league in 50-point games since the start of last season, with five.Gilgeous-Alexander’s scoring during his streak shows an even distribution, with most games in the 30-point range.Chamberlain averaged 49.2 points per game during his streak, compared to Gilgeous-Alexander’s 32.5.Calculating the statistics of both players per 36 minutes of play reveals a closer competition: 36.6 points per 36 minutes for Chamberlain versus 34.4 for Gilgeous-Alexander.The team’s success is a notable difference. Oklahoma City has had a 102-24 record during Gilgeous-Alexander’s streak, compared to the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors’ 66-60 during Chamberlain’s streak.Gilgeous-Alexander is on pace to average over 30 points per game for the fourth consecutive season. The only players in NBA history to achieve this feat are Chamberlain, Jordan, Robertson, and Adrian Dantley.The only players who have averaged more than 30 points per game for four consecutive years and have won a title during that period are Gilgeous-Alexander and Jordan.Chamberlain’s streak ended by chance. Gilgeous-Alexander, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be at risk of being ousted. Since returning from an injury in late February, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 30.8 points per game and has scored at least 26 in all five games.
