Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is headed for the history books Monday night.<\/p>\n
The Oklahoma City Thunder\u2019s reigning MVP is on track to tie Wilt Chamberlain\u2019s record of most consecutive games with 20-plus points (126) in a home tilt against the Denver Nuggets. And if last week was any indication, the way that SGA is officiated will continue to be a source of conversation and controversy.<\/p>\n
First, ESPN\u2019s Doris Burke spotlighted the topic,<\/a> going viral on March 1 when she argued that the Minnesota Timberwolves\u2019 Anthony Edwards was whistled for an offensive foul that, in her view, would not have been called on Gilgeous-Alexander. Three days later, New York Knicks coach Mike Brown found the most polite way possible to say, in essence, the same thing.<\/p>\n \u201cHe does a great job of convincing the referees \u2014 probably better than anyone in the league \u2014 that he\u2019s getting hit,\u201d Brown told reporters<\/a> after the Thunder\u2019s 103-100 win at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Then came Steve Kerr. The Golden State Warriors coach couched his criticism Saturday by clarifying that SGA was merely exploiting the system.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s incredibly clever, and he knows exactly how to draw contact, and it\u2019s all within the rules,\u201d Kerr told reporters. \u201cI don\u2019t have a problem with Shai; I have a problem with the rules. We, as a league \u2026 hardly allow the defense to do anything guarding the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n Those viewpoints have merit, and there\u2019s a worthy discussion to be had about Gilgeous-Alexander\u2019s methods, but all that nuance and negativity should fall by the wayside in honor of his remarkable feat. After all, this is Wilt we\u2019re talking about here. Any player who finds a way to topple one of his many mind-blowing marks deserves to be celebrated. And even SGA\u2019s biggest detractors have to admit that he has become one of the most consistent and dynamic scorers in the history of the game.<\/p>\n As NBA.com\u2019s Steve Aschburner highlighted here<\/a>, Chamberlain and Gilgeous-Alexander are in a class of their own on this front:<\/p>\n \u201cNo one else in NBA history has had a streak of 20-point nights hit triple digits. Oscar Robertson got to 79 games. (Michael) Jordan and Kevin Durant maxed out at 72. (Kareem) Abdul-Jabbar reached 71; Kobe Bryant, 63; and LeBron James\u2019 49 rank 21st.\u201d<\/p>\n That paragraph alone shows how difficult it is to match this record. For SGA\u2019s part, this steadiness \u2014 night in and night out \u2014 is a direct reflection of his renowned work ethic<\/a> and ethos. Or, as the kids say, his aura.<\/p>\n Remember that interview he did around this time a year ago, when he talked about consistency being the key to his entire life? This is that, only in box-score form.<\/p>\n A few more fun facts about SGA\u2019s streak, in anticipation of him tying Wilt\u2019s mark and quite possibly winning a second consecutive MVP this season. Assuming Gilgeous-Alexander ties Chamberlain against the Nuggets, he can break the record in a home game Thursday against the Boston Celtics \u2014 and their fifth-ranked defense.<\/p>\n \u2022 Gilgeous-Alexander last scored fewer than 20 points on Oct. 30, 2024, when he had 18 in a 105-93 home win against the San Antonio Spurs (shooting 7 of 20 from the field).<\/p>\n \u2022 In the seven games before this streak began, Gilgeous-Alexander scored fewer than 20 points three times. Before that stretch, he had scored 20-plus in 29 consecutive games (Jan. 18, 2024, to March 22, 2024).<\/p>\n \u2022 In this stretch of 125 consecutive games with 20-plus points, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 32.4 points while shooting 53.4 percent from the floor, 38.2 percent from 3-point range (on 5.1 attempts per game) and 89.7 percent from the free-throw line (on 9.3 attempts). He won his first scoring title last season and is currently second behind the Los Angeles Lakers\u2019 Luka Don\u010di\u0107 (32.5 to SGA\u2019s 31.6).<\/p>\n Knueppel\u2019s unusual ROY case<\/p>\n When it comes to the Rookie of the Year race, team success isn\u2019t typically that important to voters. And with good reason.<\/p>\n Because the NBA Draft lottery is designed to deliver elite talents to the league\u2019s worst teams, it\u2019s only fair to focus on individual impact when assessing this award. But the Charlotte Hornets\u2019 Kon Knueppel is testing this logic.<\/p>\n For starters, the Hornets guard is going tit for tat with the Dallas Mavericks\u2019 Cooper Flagg when it comes to good, old-fashioned production. What\u2019s more, Knueppel has played significantly more (64 games compared to Flagg\u2019s 52), in large part because of the left foot injury that recently cost Flagg eight games before his return last week against the Orlando Magic. While the league\u2019s 65-game rule doesn\u2019t apply to this award, a player\u2019s overall body of work will always be considered.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a look at their respective lines per 48 minutes:<\/p>\n Knueppel: 29 points (48.9 percent on field goals; 43.7 percent on 3s on 12.1 attempts), 8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.4 blocks Even outside of the ROY context, Knueppel has been sensational this season \u2014 especially from long range. He\u2019s leading the league in made 3s (224) and shooting at the highest clip among players who have attempted at least 300 shots from behind the arc (43.7 percent, with Denver\u2019s Jamal Murray second at 43.1).<\/p>\n Secondly, and perhaps of equal importance, is the role Knueppel has played in the Hornets\u2019 spectacular second-half turnaround. Before Sunday\u2019s loss to the Phoenix Suns, the Hornets (32-33; 10th in the Eastern Conference) had won 16 of 20 games (since Jan. 22) after starting just 16-28. In that span, they had a net rating of 17.5 with Knueppel on the floor and a mark of 4.8 when he was off. That swing<\/a> \u2014 12.7 \u2014 trailed only big man Moussa Diabate (a staggering 20.2 swing) among the Hornets starters. The Mavericks, meanwhile, have actually been better without Flagg on the floor this season (minus 3.3) than with him (minus 4.5).<\/p>\n The notion of the ROY coming from a non-losing team isn\u2019t as rare as one might think.<\/p>\n In the last 30 years, there have been seven ROY winners whose teams were .500 and above. Here\u2019s that group.<\/p>\n Scottie Barnes (2021-22): Raptors went 48-34 At this rate, the Hornets \u2014 and Knueppel \u2014 may be the latest additions to the list.<\/p>\n The Warriors\u2019 Porzi\u0146\u0123is problem<\/p>\n When the Warriors dealt for Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is at the February trade deadline, sending Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for the veteran center, their reasoning wasn\u2019t hard to understand. Not only would the 30-year-old provide a two-way presence that was sorely missing from the roster, with the prospect of pairing him with Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler giving them a puncher\u2019s chance in the playoffs, but also the tension around Kuminga\u2019s situation would finally be gone.<\/p>\n Oh, the best laid plans \u2026<\/p>\n This was the definition of a calculated risk, with Porzi\u0146\u0123is\u2019 mysterious health history inserting an element of uncertainty that has since created some chaos. Porzi\u0146\u0123is, who missed 10 of his first 11 games with the Warriors after the trade, finally returned on Saturday and reminded everyone why there was initially so much optimism about his addition. He finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and a block in 23 minutes, but he had a team-best mark of plus-6. And regardless of how his individual line read, the Warriors \u2014 without Curry \u2014 found a way to compete with the reigning champion Thunder until the end before falling 104-97. They\u2019re now in eighth place in the West, firmly positioned for the Play-In Tournament because of the gap both above them (Phoenix, 4 1\/2 games ahead, is seventh) and below (the 11th-place Memphis Grizzlies are 8 1\/2 games behind).<\/p>\n If only they could count on Porzi\u0146\u0123is being available every time out.<\/p>\n As Porzi\u0146\u0123is shared with our Fred Katz back in October<\/a>, he struggles with a condition known as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (\u201cPOTS\u201d) that makes it challenging to know when he will be ready to compete. Even after Kerr had his public relations misstep late last month,<\/a> when the coach downplayed the significance of Porzi\u0146\u0123is\u2019 diagnosis, team officials said it\u2019s hard to figure out how to handle this sensitive situation. The fact that Porzi\u0146\u0123is will be a free agent this summer makes it even harder.<\/p>\n And then there was the compounding Kuminga effect.<\/p>\n While Kuminga\u2019s left knee inflammation has kept him out of the past two games, he averaged a team-high 21.3 points (on a team-high 67.7 percent shooting) to go with 7.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in his first three games \u2014 all Hawks wins \u2014 thus sending Warriors fans into a tizzy from which they might never recover. I\u2019m exaggerating, but only slightly.<\/p>\n
\nFlagg: 28.7 points (47.2 percent on field goals; 29.5 percent on 3s on five attempts), 9.4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.3 blocks<\/p>\n
\nBen Simmons (2017-18): Philadelphia 76ers went 52-30
\nMalcolm Brogdon (2016-17): Milwaukee Bucks went 42-40
\nDerrick Rose (2008-09): Chicago Bulls went 41-41
\nAmar\u2019e Stoudemire (2002-03): Suns were 44-38
\nMike Miller (2000-01): Orlando Magic went 43-39
\nTim Duncan (1997-98): Spurs went 56-26<\/p>\n