OKC Thunder: Putting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Scoring Dominance Into Perspective

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, most simply, saw an all-time scoring season for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

He averaged 32.3 points on 54.8% shooting in nine January 2025 games through the month's first three weeks, as the Thunder went 8-1 to push its No. 1 seed to 7.0 games over the Houston Rockets. A Jan. 22 matchup against the last-place Utah Jazz shaped up to be another ho-hum Thunder victory and productive scoring night for the seventh-year guard. However, the Jazz stayed competitive for all four quarters thanks to good outside shooting and an eventual 23 offensive rebounds.

Gilgeous-Alexander racked up 13 points in the last six minutes, including Oklahoma City's final 11, to finish with a career-high 54 on 17-for-35 shooting and 17-for-18 free throws. His second-chance 3-pointer, mid-range jumper and uncontested dunk in the closing stretch helped the Thunder escape with its 36th victory after Utah tied the game with 5:26 remaining. Jazz forward John Collins led his team with 22 points — less than half Gilgeous-Alexander's total.

Gilgeous-Alexander outscored the opposing team's leading scorer in 64 of his 76 (84.2%) regular-season appearances and 16 of 23 (69.6%) playoff appearances. The Thunder went 58-6 and 13-3 in those games, respectively, becoming even more of a juggernaut whenever its superstar won his battle.

The 2024-25 MVP averaged a +11.4 margin during those 64 regular-season matchups. He bested all opposing scorers by double-digits 46 times, by at least 15 points 21 times, by at least 20 points nine times and by at least 30 points twice. Gilgeous-Alexander (48 points) outdueled Tobias Harris (18 points) and the Detroit Pistons in a heroic effort on March 15, as Oklahoma City won 113-107.

Gilgeous-Alexander remained a consistent playoff engine, but his relative dominance decreased slightly as combatant first options gained more usage. He averaged a +8.8 margin across his 16 superior playoff games — three against the Memphis Grizzlies, three against the Denver Nuggets, four against the Minnesota Timberwolves and six against the Indiana Pacers. The Finals MVP (38 points) doubled Pascal Siakam (19 points) in another tightly contested contest on June 5, though the Pacers took Game 1 on a literal last-second Tyrese Haliburton jumper.

Gilgeous-Alexander won his first career scoring title last season, averaging 32.7 points on 51.9% shooting. His 29.9 postseason points per game led all players who advanced beyond the first round. He led Thunder scorers in 62 of 76 (81.6%) regular-season games and 19 of 23 (82.6%) playoff games.

Oklahoma City's defense and depth brought a high floor — and Gilgeous-Alexander's scoring consistency took his team through the ceiling.