Thunder Vs Mavericks — thunder vs mavericks: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander breaks Wilt Chamberlain record
In a Sunday meeting at the American Airlines Center, thunder vs mavericks ended with the Oklahoma City Thunder completing a series sweep of the Dallas Mavericks. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points and the Thunder won 100-87 in the final game of the three-game season series.
Game and series details
The Mavericks were a team the Thunder had already defeated twice this season; Sunday’s contest was the final matchup of the three-game season series. With Gilgeous-Alexander back in the lineup, the Thunder completed the series sweep with a 100-87 victory.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s streaks and records
Gilgeous-Alexander reached his 59th straight road game scoring at least 20 points, a streak that surpassed the mark set by Wilt Chamberlain. The context noted Chamberlain’s record was associated with the 1961-62 season, while another reference listed Chamberlain’s era as 1961-1963 for context on the earlier benchmark.
The Thunder star also logged his 123rd straight game of scoring at least 20 points; the No. 1 spot for consecutive 20-point games remains held by the Hall of Famer with 126 straight games. Gilgeous-Alexander is still among the association’s top scorers and remains at the No. 1 spot in the recent MVP Ladder update.
Injury return and minutes restriction
This was Gilgeous-Alexander’s second straight game after missing nine straight games because of an abdominal strain. The team restricted his playing time because of the number of games he lost to injury, but his performance appeared unaffected by the floor restriction. Against Dallas he was on the floor for only 33: 28 minutes.
First game back and Friday performance
In his first game back after the abdominal strain, Gilgeous-Alexander had 36 points in 34 minutes to lead Oklahoma City past the Denver Nuggets on Friday, 127-121. That was an overtime win, and the team did not risk having Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor during overtime.
Stats, honors and MVP conversation
Before facing the Mavericks, Gilgeous-Alexander had appeared in 50 games, averaging 31. 9 points, 4. 4 rebounds and 6. 5 assists. This is his fourth-straight season averaging at least 30 points. He is a four-time All-Star and a favorite to win the MVP this season, with his scoring cited as a major factor.
Reaction and quotes
On his reluctance to sit out pressure moments, Gilgeous-Alexander told Justin Martinez: "I hate watching pressure moments when I'm not in them. I hate it. I hate it. It's not that I don't have faith in my teammates or anything like that. I just can't stand the pressure when I'm not involved. When I'm involved, I love it. But when I'm not involved, I hate it. " That comment followed his limited minutes earlier in the return sequence.
