Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has racked up plenty of big games and hot streaks during the last few seasons.
However, entering the Thunder’s Thursday game against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers, Gilgeous-Alexander may be at the hottest point of his seven-year NBA career. And it’s paying off big for Oklahoma City, which is riding a 12-game winning streak — tied for the longest since the franchise moved from Seattle.
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 33.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.3 blocks and shooting 56.6 percent from the floor during the streak.
“I feel like I’m flowing,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I’m not pressing, I’m not thinking, I’m just out there hoopin’. The hard work is paying off.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, who played for the Clippers as a rookie before going to Oklahoma City in the 2019 trade that sent Paul George to Los Angeles, is coming off a 40-point performance with four steals in the Thunder’s 113-105 win over visiting Minnesota on Tuesday.
In the last meeting with the Clippers, a 134-128 Thunder victory on Nov. 11 in Oklahoma City, Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 45 and said after the game he was looking to take over.
But that was the Thunder’s first game following Chet Holmgren’s hip injury and before the debut of offseason acquisition Isaiah Hartenstein.
Though Oklahoma City remains without Holmgren for at least a few more weeks, Hartenstein has helped the Thunder do more than stay afloat.
“It’s weird,” Hartenstein said of Gilgeous-Alexander. “It feels like he’s not forcing it. He’s not going out there thinking about himself. He’s going out there trying to help the team, and he’s still getting 40.
“That’s why I think he should be the MVP this year. It should be clear.”
Gilgeous-Alexander also scored 45 points in Oklahoma City’s six-point win at Indiana on Dec. 26.
The Thunder are 16-1 since Hartenstein’s debut, and the 7-footer has 13 double-doubles during that stretch.
The Clippers are coming off their worst loss of the season, a 122-86 blowout in San Antonio on Tuesday in the second night of a road back-to-back.
“Mentally we’ve got to be tougher and we’ve got to be better,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.
That won’t be easy against the Thunder, who have won the first two of the four meetings between the teams this season.
Los Angeles has turned the ball over 46 times in those games, leading to 55 Thunder points.
“That’s just way too many, especially against a team that can score the ball the way they score the basketball,” Lue said.
The Clippers are hoping the Thursday game is one of their last before the return of Kawhi Leonard.
The six-time All-Star has yet to play this season due to right knee inflammation but has steadily ramped of activity of late and could make his season debut against Atlanta on Saturday.
Despite not having Leonard, the Clippers are more than holding their own, sitting sixth in the Western Conference.
“He feels like he doesn’t want to come over and just mess up the flow and chemistry that we have been building up,” Clippers guard James Harden said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”
–Field Level Media
