Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Continues to Define Consistency

Scoring 30 points is no easy feat at any level, let alone the highest level of the sport. Thunder guard and reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has made scoring 30-or-more points an everyday thing.

Consistency has been a roadblock in the path of many players to NBA stardom, but Gilgeous-Alexander has mastered the art of scoring at a high, consistent rate. He is averaging 32.1 points per game, third in the NBA, in just 33.1 minutes per game, 45th in the NBA.

The former University of Kentucky and Los Angeles Clippers rising star has been able to get past that 30-point mark through three quarters in most games this season, setting a standard of consistency for the rest of the league to match.

His whole life is consistent, after all.

This constant effort continued to shine in back-to-back efforts where Gilgeous-Alexander scored more points than minutes played, against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City and against the Portland Trail Blazers in OKC.

Against the Jazz, Gilgeous-Alexander played a part in a miraculous turn-around victory, where the Thunder turned an 18-point deficit into a 32-point victory. In just 30 minutes of play, sitting the entire fourth quarter, he tallied 31 points, eight assists, two rebounds, one steal and a block in the powerful win.

Gilgeous-Alexander was as efficient as usual, scoring those 31 points on 9-of-14 from the floor and 3-of-3 from three-point range. He also hit 10 of his 12 attempts from the charity stripe.

Against the Trail Blazers, consistency was the story yet again. Playing just 30 minutes, again, sitting out the fourth quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points on 13-of-18 shooting, 2-of-3 from behind the arc and shooting a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line.

On top of the high point total, the Canadian guard tallied five rebounds, seven assists and two steals. He extended his historic 20-point streak to 90 consecutive games, two away from tying Wilt Chamberlain for the second-longest ever and 36 away from Chamberlain's NBA record of 126.

The scoring against Portland started early for Gilgeous-Alexander, scoring 17 of OKC's 39 first-quarter points, adding 11 in the second quarter. He was getting to the rim at will, with no Blazer defender standing a chance in front of the league's best scorer.

To truly define consistency, Gilgeous-Alexander has extended it to scoring 30 points, as well. He has scored 30 or more points in 15 of the Thunder's 18 games this season. Out of those three games scoring under 30, he's played the fourth quarter in just one of them.

As he contends for the MVP once again, there is one word that describes Gilgeous-Alexander's game: Consistency.