Tuesday's outing against the Indiana Pacers may not have gone as planned from an overall team standpoint, as the OKC Thunder were outpaced, outmuscled, and, ultimately, outplayed, but, from an individual standpoint, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still managed to produce to his normal tune.
On pace to make league history with his single-season averages, the superstar guard has been a machine in virtually all aspects of the game in 2023-24. From his defense to his distribution, the two-time All-Star is turning heads every which way and, against Indy, he managed to break a lofty franchise record that was previously held by one of the game's all-time greats.
With his scoring efforts on the night, Gilgeous-Alexander went on to surpass former Thunder cornerstone Kevin Durant for the most games in a single season dropping 30 or more points.
Though obviously underwhelmed by Oklahoma City's loss, during his postgame presser, the 25-year-old did take some time to address his new accomplishment and praise Durant along the way.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander talks breaking Kevin Durant's Thunder record
"It's cool. It's an honor. Obviously [Kevin has] done some amazing things here in his career. To be in those conversations is an honor and blessing."Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Through 37 minutes of individual play, Gilgeous-Alexander went on to drop 30 points on 44.4 percent shooting from the floor while adding on 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Unfortunately, his effectiveness seemed to have been effected by Indiana's defensive efforts, as they gave him zero space on the offensive end and forced him into four turnovers and to shoot a lowly 1 for 7 from deep.
In the end, Tyrese Haliburton (18 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) and company got the best of the surging Thunder, downing them by a final score of 121-111 and, ultimately, ending their win-streak at three games.