SGA eclipses Wilt for NBA's longest 20-point streak

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The legendary Wilt Chamberlain owns one less NBA record thanks to Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, broke a record held by Chamberlain for more than six decades by scoring at least 20 points in 127 consecutive regular-season games.

Gilgeous-Alexander reached the milestone in Thursday's home game against the Boston Celtics, surpassing 20 points with a 20-foot jumper with 7:04 remaining in the third quarter, eliciting a roar from the Paycom Center crowd. He received a standing ovation and MVP chants during the next timeout when the historic moment was recognized on the videoboard.

"We've won throughout the streak, most importantly," said Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 35 points and nine assists in the Thunder's 104-102 win. "I just had so much fun playing the last year and a half, probably because I've done a lot of winning. ... If you stay in the right mind frame, when you stay together, when you're connected as a unit and just have fun throughout the whole process, you get the best out of things."

Gilgeous-Alexander's streak started on Nov. 1, 2024. He has averaged 32.5 points in the 127 games.

"Credit to him and his work ethic and his game, how he's improved over the years," said Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who had 34 points and seven assists in the loss. "I think the signs of greatness is just how consistent [Gilgeous-Alexander is]. That's very impressive."

Gilgeous-Alexander, who won last season's scoring title and ranks second in the league with 31.8 points per game this season, is on the verge of becoming the first player since Michael Jordan to score at least 30 points per game in four consecutive seasons. His true shooting percentage of .669 would tie the highest in league history for a 30-point-per-game scorer, matching Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry from his unanimous MVP season in 2015-16.

But Gilgeous-Alexander believes his game still has room to grow. He mentioned the goal of posting a 50/40/90 shooting season.

"Human nature is that you have success and you ease a little bit," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said pregame. "He's the opposite. He tastes it and wants more. He goes back for seconds."

Chamberlain's 126-game streak started on Oct. 19, 1961 -- the season opener of the campaign that the Hall of Famer set NBA scoring marks for a season (50.4 points per game) and game (100) that still stand today -- and lasted through Jan. 19, 1963. The streak ended when Chamberlain was ejected from a game in the first quarter.

Chamberlain still holds records for the longest streaks of scoring 30 points (65 games), 40 points (14 games), 50 points (seven games) and 60 points (four games).

Chamberlain also scored 20 points in 92 straight games from Feb. 26, 1963, through March 18, 1964, which was the second-longest such streak in NBA history until Gilgeous-Alexander surpassed it.

No other NBA player has scored 20 points in 80 straight games. The next longest 20-point streak was 79 games by Oscar Robertson. Kevin Durant and Jordan each scored 20 in 72 straight games to tie for fifth on the list.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who was held under 20 points in three playoff games during Oklahoma City's championship run last season, has finished with exactly 20 points only twice during his streak. Both of those occasions occurred during lopsided wins for the Thunder this season.

The second of those 20-point games, which happened in a Feb. 3 home win over the Orlando Magic, was the most serious threat to the streak. After suffering an abdominal strain, Gilgeous-Alexander continued playing until he made a free throw to give him 20 points late in the third quarter. He subbed out after the next possession, when the Thunder led by 29 points with 1:48 remaining in the third, and missed the next nine games.

Oklahoma City's record during Gilgeous-Alexander's streak is 103-24.

"The whole life of the streak has not prevented us from having a ton of team success and hasn't prevented his teammates from having success, either," Daigneault said. "An individual streak that's about scoring has not come at the expense of his team or his teammates."