SGA opts for 'respect' over record, subs out of blowout to end 20-point streak
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's NBA-record streak of 20-point games ended at 17 points in the Thunder's win over the Nuggets — and he chose respect over the record.
Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander saw his NBA-record streak of 20-point games come to an end on Thursday night, finishing with 17 points in the Thunder's win over the Denver Nuggets.
It was the first time in nearly two years that the two-time reigning MVP had scored fewer than 20 points in a game, snapping a historic scoring run. Gilgeous-Alexander, who had poured in 32 points in a convincing win over San Antonio two nights earlier, missed all seven of his shots in the first half.
With 1:43 remaining and three points shy of extending the streak, he asked to check out of the game. Coach Mark Daigneault said he wanted to leave his star in to chase the record, but Gilgeous-Alexander chose otherwise.
"I was going to go out there, and then I saw that [the Nuggets] had subbed, so I thought we should sub too," he said — opting, as the headline put it, for respect over the record.
Jalen Williams scored 21 points and Chet Holmgren added 12 points and 17 rebounds for Oklahoma City. Aaron Gordon led Denver with 20 points, while Nikola Jokic and DeMar DeRozan added 13 apiece for the Nuggets, who were playing their first game of the season.
A layup by Mitchell gave the Thunder a 64-62 lead — their first since 3-0 — before three-pointers from Alex Caruso and Gilgeous-Alexander stretched it to 70-64 after three quarters.
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