With the way he's been playing over the last few years, OKC Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has thrust his name into the same conversation as some of the game's all-time greats.
From joining the likes of Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaq as the only players to win MVP, the scoring title, and an NBA title all in the same season just a year ago to, most recently, joining the GOAT himself for totaling 3,243 points, 637 assists, and 164 steals while shooting 52.3 percent from the field in a 100-game span, SGA's name has grown synonymous with true legends.
Now, following Friday's blowout win over the Dallas Mavericks, it seems all but certain that the Oklahoma City cornerstone is destined to actually surpass another true icon of the sport in a wild statistic over the coming months, as Gilgeous-Alexander is on track to blow Stephen Curry's mark of fourth quarters sat during the 2015-16 season out of the water.
Thunder star pacing to blow by Steph Curry's missed fourth quarter mark
Since their rise to prominence during the 2023-24 campaign, parallels have constantly been drawn between this Thunder squad and the Warriors dynasty that came about during the mid-2010s.
Now, following last year's title run and the fact that they're projected to become the first repeat champions and the first to eclipse the 70-win mark since those Dubs, these comparisons have only become more prevalent.
However, as the Thunder make their way through this epic 2025-26 season, they are finding themselves breezing past many of the accomplishments those Golden State teams that were even recently seen as insurmountable.
One, in particular, is Curry's ridiculous 19 fourth-quarters sat during the club's record-setting 73-win season in 2015-16. Getting to such a record with your main star frequently missing time down the stretch of games is truly indicative of just how dominant they were.
Fast forward a decade later, and we find Gilgeous-Alexander on an even more insane stretch, for, following the Thunder's 132-111 win over the Mavs, the reigning MVP has now officially sat out 12 fourth quarters.
Even with his inactivity, the Thunder are still on pace to win 78 games, which, if achieved, would reset the Warriors' own record.
Keep in mind, we're still only in early December, and OKC still has 59 games remaining on the regular season docket.
Despite fears of some that Oklahoma City may push to take the single-season wins record, it seems that they're barely even breaking a sweat trying to do so, and a clear sign of this is the fact that their megastar has played in only roughly half of fourth quarters this year.