Seeing Taelon Peter defend him in transition, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had fun with the rookie in his NBA debut. He hunched over and utilized him as a shield on his drive to the basket. Sheppard tried for the steal before quickly moving out of the way. The reigning MVP had an easy layup.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a career-best 55 points on 15-of-31 shooting, eight rebounds and five assists. He shot 2-of-7 from 3 and went a career-high 23-of-26 on free throws. He also had two steals and one block.

The Oklahoma City Thunder survived a 141-135 2OT win over the Indiana Pacers. For the second straight time to start the season, Gilgeous-Alexander’s late-game heroics carried them to a 58-minute victory.

It was his fifth career 50-point performance. They’ve all happened since the start of the last season. We’re witnessing one of the greatest scorers in NBA history make the half-century mark look relatively easy. Indiana had no answer to slow down the reigning MVP.

Gilgeous-Alexander was just on another level from the jump. He sliced through Indiana’s defense. Drives to the basket resulted in either free layups or free throws. The Pacers went in wanting to apply full pressure. They quickly realized how bad that plan was without the defensive personnel to make it work.

After three quarters, Gilgeous-Alexander had 29 points. Maybe he’d get to 40 if everything went right. Little did people know he’d finish with the most points he has scored in a single game. He had 40 points at the end of regulation. A driving layup and free-throw trip helped OKC force overtime.

In the two overtime periods, Gilgeous-Alexander put on his Superman cape once again. He carried the Thunder to the finish line with 15 points in the two sessions. Some big-time buckets helped them stay in it as the Pacers tried to put it away with unreal shot-making by committee.

As the Pacers held onto their last hopes, Gilgeous-Alexander passed his previous career-high 54 points by a single point. He was given several free-throw trips down the stretch. The 26 attempts will surely be the biggest talking point. They’ve already trended all over social media. But considering both teams shot 40-plus free throws, that’s a reflection on the officiating crew.

“I’m tired, but it’s expected. It’s a good way to break the ice into the season,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on another 2OT game. “Shake the rust off. Kinda bust the lungs out. Get my cardio back. It’s not ideal, four extra overtimes in two games. But we’ll take the two Ws.”

It’s unsustainable to expect Gilgeous-Alexander to do this every night. But he showed he can carry the team when needed. A laundry list of injuries forced him to be more aggressive than usual as a scorer. He went for the kill shot several times, but couldn’t see it fall through. Instead, he just dissected Indiana’s defense with relentless drives to the basket.

“One of the most efficient things about Shai is not just the scoring efficiency, but he doesn’t turn the ball over very much. He’s a great ball-control player, so you get a shot more often than not when he’s on it,” Daigneault said. “He was obviously brilliant tonight. He played however many minutes the other nights and turned around to play 45. It’s hard to do.”

Just an unreal performance by Gilgeous-Alexander. If he hopes to win back-to-back MVPs, he couldn’t have dreamed of a better start. A 55-point performance in the second game of the season certainly puts him on the map early on. He’s figured the NBA out and added another highlight reel to his Hall-of-Fame career.

“Honestly, I play and if they stop something, I have a few counters. If they stop those, I have a few more counters,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Usually by then, the shot is up or not and we go the other way. That’s usually what happens. That’s all that happens. I either drive or shoot this shot. Or if I see them be anxy, I pump-fake and if they don’t jump, now I know they’re not jumping and I can shoot the shot anyways. It’s a game inside a game every possession down.”