The Oklahoma City Thunder are young and fun, led by star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The 24-year-old Canadian entered Wednesday averaging 31.5 points (fifth in the NBA), 5.8 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.1 steals. And on Wednesday night, Gilgeous-Alexander took things to another level.
Gilgeous-Alexander tied a career-high with 42 points, dished out seven assists, and pulled down six rebounds in the Thunder’s 121-120 road victory over the Washington Wizards.
Oh, and he made the game-winning three, on a difficult stepback after showing off some nasty handles.
That’s a fitting way to cap off a remarkable performance.
Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t been selected to the NBA All-Star Game yet in his young career, but he’s well on his way in the 2022-23 season. And that could just be the beginning of some significant accolades coming his way if he keeps improving.
SGA is now averaging 32.3 points per game after Wednesday’s performance, which puts him in a tie with Joel Embiid (who recently had an amazing performance of his own) for second in the NBA in scoring. Only Luka Dončić is averaging more at 34.4 points per game.
The NBA world has had plenty of praise and factoids regarding Gilgeous-Alexander after he scored 42 points and nailed the game-winner on Wednesday night.