Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been playing at an MVP level through the first three months of the 2024-25 NBA season. But he may have had his signature game on Wednesday night against the Jazz, as he scored a career-high 54 points, the first 50+ point game of his career.
Gilgeous-Alexander Posts Career High 54 Points In Win Over Jazz
SGA’s previous career-high was 45. Against Utah on Wednesday, he was able to hit 17 of his 35 field goals and convert 17 of his 18 free throw attempts on the way to the first 50-burger of his career, solidifying his standing as the favorite to take home the NBA MVP award this year. He added 8 rebounds and dished out 5 assists, and added three steals and two blocks in his stat sheet-stuffing effort.
But the Jazz, despite being the worst team in the West playing against the best, were able to keep things close throughout. They were able to tie the game mid-way through the fourth quarter, but Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 of his points in the final 6 minutes of the game.
SGA dropped a CAREER-HIGH 54 PTS 📈
Shai with yet ANOTHER exceptional performance in tonight’s @okcthunder win ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/9PRXnVRRYL
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 23, 2025
It wasn’t just the best scoring night of SGA’s career, but the highest point total of any Thunder player since Russell Westbrook hit the mark in April 2017. It was the fourth and final 50+ point game for Westbrook that season.
Thanks to their win over the Jazz and the Cavaliers’ loss to the Rockets, the Thunder are now tied for the best record in the NBA at 36-7. Their lead in the Western Conference has turned into a 7-game gap, and they are just behind the Celtics when it comes to NBA Championship odds.
When it comes to NBA MVP odds, Gilgeous-Alexander now has a commanding lead, listed as the favorite with a -500 designation after his big performance. It is a two-man race, with Nikola Jokić back at +300.
