Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s remarkable streak of 20-plus point games ends at 141 as he scores 17 points in a win over the Denver Nuggets.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The most impressive streak of the night involving the Thunder wasn’t beating a strong rival and contender for the second straight game to open the season. It was the other streak, the one that didn’t survive the night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander failed to get 20 points in a game. Those words haven’t been typed or spoken in almost two years, before his two Kia MVP awards, his NBA Finals MVP and the Thunder’s first championship.
Yes, plenty has happened, mostly good, involving Shai over the course of his NBA record for consecutive 20-point games. It halts at 141, all because of his uncharacteristic mild night against the Denver Nuggets when he came up three points short.
Yet the night could be described as bittersweet, because Shai and the Thunder enjoyed a romp despite a quiet night for him. That speaks loudly about OKC’s defense and the ability of his teammates to cover for him.
Here are the takeaways from OKC’s breezy 12-point win:
1. Freaky end to the streak
It began on Nov. 1, 2024, in the fifth game of that season, and like most streaks, the beginning was inconspicuous. Shai dropped 30 points in Portland against the Trail Blazers, and half the country yawned and went to sleep.
Over the next 141 games, though, the accomplishment began to swell in amazement. Consider that Shai couldn’t afford to have an off-night. Meaning, he could score 19 points — a solid output for most players — but that would be shy of the standard he set for himself.
He broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record along the way and kept going, until the last few minutes remaining on Oct. 22, 2026, almost two full years later.
And make no mistake, Shai wanted 142 games. He was re-inserted in a contest in which the Thunder were comfortably ahead with just under seven minutes left, with him stuck on seven points. Last season for example, Shai was on the bench for good in such situations, although by then he already had his 20 for the night.
His teammates made a big effort to get him the ball, but with the clock ticking away and guarded tightly by Christian Braun, everyone knew, even after Shai drilled a 25-footer to his 17th point with 1:43 left.
Rather than turn the remaining game into a sideshow, Shai checked out and stayed on the bench.
“He asked out at the end,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. “That was his substitution … of all the things I admire about him, that’s toward the top of the list. It shows tremendous class as a competitor.”
Shai said: “I think you always treat the game with respect.”
Shai had no field goals in the first half and just two points on seven shots, his lowest first half since his first season in OKC in 2019.
2. That’s two for OKC, for starters
Chet Holmgren joins Ernie Johnson to discuss his double-double in the Thunder’s home win over Denver.
The drama surrounding the 20-point streak managed to suffocate OKC’s second win to start the season. Yes, the Thunder are 2-0 but it feels double that, given the circumstances.
They beat Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokić. They swatted away the Spurs and Nuggets, perhaps their two biggest threats in the Western Conference, and they did so with room to spare.
The first two games of the season could not have gone better for OKC, then. And they did so while Jalen Williams is still ramping up from an injury-ravaged 2025-26 season, and after losing three key rotational players in the offseason to trades.
While the Spurs are the rising threat to OKC, the Nuggets represented the initial hurdle for the Thunder. OKC beat the Nuggets three times in four meetings after Denver’s 2023 championship, which served as a changing of the guard in the West, especially when the Thunder won Game 7 in the conference semifinals in 2025 en route to winning the NBA championship.
“I remember back when we were in the throes of rebuilding, they were champions,” said Daigneault. “So you had to be sharp against them on both ends in order to beat them. That raises the bar. It’s how you get better. You get better by competing against one of the best teams.
“There’s no team I have a higher respect for … they’re a privilege to compete against. They made us better and we’ve competed against each other a lot.”
3. Size still matters
The benefit for the Thunder of opening against Wemby and Jokić is seeing how their three 7-footers would dare against perhaps the two best centers in basketball. So far, so good for OKC.
After holding Wemby to 1-for-13 shooting in the season opener, the Thunder kept Jokić quiet. Jokic shot 5-for-19, and do the math — 6-for-32 for those two centers in consecutive games.
The Thunder offer so much in variety with Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Aday Mara, bringing size, athleticism and power. In addition, the Thunder also tested Jokić with Jaylin Williams and Alex Caruso for short spells.
“When you have those bigs, there’s a lot you can do that others can’t do,” said Nuggets coach David Adelman.
4. Nuggets seek support
Almost immediately after the Nuggets’ 2023 championship, the challenge was to keep quality help around their three-time MVP and two crucial core players, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, to remain in the hunt for future titles. And now, three-plus seasons later, it’s questionable whether the Nuggets are achieving that goal.
Their season opener Thursday seemed inconclusive at best. On a night when Jokić and Murray were less than optimal offensively — they shot a combined 7-for-30 — the Nuggets lacked that step-up player even though their bench outscored OKC’s by 33-31.
“So many new faces,” said Adelman. “The identity will work itself out. We’re two different teams from last year to this year.”
While the Nuggets added DeMar DeRozan, there will be microscopic focus on Braun and Cam Johnson, in particular. Both need a bounceback season after faltering in 2025-26. They combined for 12 points Thursday, in a game that begged for someone other than Gordon to generate against OKC’s solid defense.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.