It has been a magnificent season for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He was named MVP for the first time. His 32.7 points per contest led the league, giving him his first scoring title. His Oklahoma City Thunder went 68-14 in the regular season, had the best scoring differential in league history, and are now playing in the NBA Finals. After their Game 2 performance, the Thunder are now just three wins away from winning a title. In the victory on Sunday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reached a milestone accomplished by very few players in league history.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Accomplishes Rare Scoring Milestone
SGA Now Has Scored More Than 3,000 Points On The Season
The Thunder squared up the NBA Finals at one game apiece with their 123-107 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2. It was a much-needed win by Oklahoma City after seeing Game 1 slip from their grasp. The next two NBA Finals outings will now take place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana.
It was a typical performance for Gilgeous-Alexander when it comes to the offensive end. He finished Sunday with 34 points on 11-21 shooting (1-4 on threes) and 11-12 from the free-throw line. In Game 1, the 26-year-old dropped 38 points, the third-most ever in an NBA Finals debut. He is now averaging 30.4 points in his 18 postseason outings this year.
With his Game 2 performance, Gilgeous-Alexander joined the 3,000 point club. He became just the 12th player in league history to total at least 3,000 points when combing regular season and postseason numbers. The seven-year veteran scored 2,484 points in the regular season and now has 548 in the playoffs. That gives him 3,032 total this season. He is the 12th player ever to reach that 3K-point total in a single year.
Other Players That Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Has Joined In Reaching The Milestone
Not only did Gilgeous-Alexander become the 12th to reach 3,000 points in a season, it was also just the 25th instance of it happening. There have been only two players that have done it more than once. It should come as no surprise that those two are Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. Jordan did it an absurd 10 times, while Chamberlain accomplished the scoring feat five times.
Now with Gilgeous-Alexander joining the group, there have been 10 players who have scored 3,000+ points in a season once. SGA’s name is now included along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Bob McAdoo, and Shaquille O’Neal. The 3,000+ point group consists of inner-circle Hall of Famers and active players who undoubtedly will be elected on their first ballot.
While the milestone shows what a superb season that Gilgeous-Alexander is having, his work isn’t done. He is attempting to win his first championship, and the first for the franchise since moving to Oklahoma City. Game 3 will take place on Wednesday.
Photo credit: © Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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