Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s putback basket in the fourth quarter put him over 50 points and sent the Oklahoma City crowd into a frenzy.
The Thunder star responded by jogging downcourt expressionless, as if it were no big deal.
That’s because it has become almost routine for the Canadian. His final touch on a 51-point night clinched his fourth 50-point performance in his last 19 games.
“It becomes — you can say it’s not as exciting as the first one, but it’s more like getting lost in the process of just competing and playing the game you love,” Gilgeous-Alexander, of Hamilton, said. “And then wherever that takes you, it takes you.”
Besides, he was most concerned with the final result — a 137-128 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday.
Gilgeous-Alexander became the 12th player in NBA history with at least four 50-point games in a season. His scoring binges have helped Oklahoma City roll to a Western Conference-leading 50-11 record. The Thunder are 3-1 when he scores at least 50 points.
“Whether it’s 50, whether it’s 27, whether it’s 17 — as long as we win, I have fun with it,” he said. “It’s a fun night.”
Gilgeous-Alexander played 397 career games before reaching the 50-point mark. His first time hitting the milestone was a career-high 54-point outburst in a win over Utah on Jan. 22. He then scored 52 on Jan. 29 in a loss to Golden State and 50 in a home win over Phoenix on Feb. 5.
From the outset against the Rockets, it appeared this might become a special night as well when Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points in the first quarter. He said he took over because the team got off to a rough start. Even with his scoring spree, Houston led 31-30 at the end of the period.
“I tried to be a little bit more aggressive once we kind of got out to that [slow] start there, like kind of lift us a little bit,” he said. “I tried to be aggressive, be assertive.”
He had 28 points at halftime and 45 going into the fourth quarter. His six points in the final period were vital in helping the Thunder hang on.
“I just think you play the game to win,” he said. “Like, you don’t play the game to score a bunch of points. You don’t play the game to get a bunch of rebounds or assists or steals. … You don’t play for anything besides to win, and that’s what it’s all about.”