Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Luka Doncic Gives Shai Gilgeous-Alexander The Ultimate Compliment

Originally posted on Fadeaway World
By Ishaan Bhattacharya | Last updated Apr 6, 2025 11:37 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers picked up arguably their best win of the season with a 126-99 demolishing of the No. 1 seed OKC Thunder. It was a surprisingly one-sided game, as the Lakers' red-hot offense never cooled off while their defense stifled the Thunder and stopped them from scoring even a 100 points in this loss.

Luka Doncic was the star of the night, outplaying OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the game and then showering his rival guard with heaps of praise in the post-game interview.

“Obviously, first is Shai. I think he’s an unbelievable player. He makes them look like an incredible team, which they are. The second thing is their defense. They have a lot of guys who can guard 1 through 5, they can switch, they can control the game with their defense, and they have a lot of weapons.”

“obviously first is shai.. shy. I think he’s an unbelievable player”

Luka on Shai and okc pic.twitter.com/p4Rr62MYXo
— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) April 6, 2025

Luka put up 30 points (11-20 FG), seven rebounds, and six assists, while Shai put up 26 points (12-23 FG) and nine assists.

These two should have the most intense guard rivalry in the sport, given that everyone admits they're the two best guards in the league. The 2018 Draft Classmates have been dominating the NBA over the last few seasons, being named as the starting backcourt for the last two All-NBA First Teams.

Shai is averaging 32.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists this season, while Doncic is averaging 27.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists.

Despite Doncic having a much brighter start to his NBA career, Shai seems to have surpassed him in terms of on-court success. The Thunder have secured the No. 1 seed in the West for the second consecutive season, with Shai finishing as MVP runner-up ahead of third-placed Doncic last season, and is expected to win this year's MVP while Doncic is ineligible.

For years, everyone has assumed that Doncic will be the first player of the stacked 2018 Draft Class to win MVP. But it seems like Shai will pip Luka to that honor this season. That's a significant milestone, but it won't necessarily cause people to declare Shai as the better guard, given the careers they both have had.

Shai has averaged 24.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists over his career, while Doncic has averaged 28.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.2 assists.

Shai is a far more complete defensive contributor, but Doncic's offensive prowess is on another level. This was evident in the 2024 Western Conference second round when Shai's OKC lost 4-2 as the No. 1 seed to Doncic's Dallas Mavericks.

Despite Luka being hurt during the series, he orchestrated the win over Shai, who arguably outproduced him. But the winning impact of both players was markedly different, highlighted by the season-ending block Luka pulled off on Shai en route to his first NBA Finals appearance.

If Luka and Shai meet in the 2025 Playoffs, it'll be the most compelling matchup the NBA has to offer.

This article first appeared on Fadeaway World and was syndicated with permission.

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