Shai Gilgeous-Alexander equaled Wilt Chamberlain’s 63-year-old scoring record as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets 129-126 in a pulsating clash of NBA Western Conference titans.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds to pull level with Chamberlain’s longstanding mark of scoring 20 points or more in 126 consecutive games, set between 1961 and 1963.
But Gilgeous-Alexander’s feat was almost a footnote to a spellbinding individual performance that saw the league Most Valuable Player seal victory with a three-pointer with three seconds left.
With overtime looming and the scores tied at 126-126, Gilgeous-Alexander launched a 25-foot step back three-pointer that secured the win. “I just tried to make a play I was comfortable making,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I tried to create space to get a shot off – it went down.”
Gilgeous-Alexander had given the Thunder what looked like a winning 126-122 lead with 14 seconds left after another superb three-pointer. The Nuggets though came roaring back with a nerveless three-pointer from Nikola Jokic, and a foul from Jaylin Williams in the same play allowed Jamal Murray to level it for Denver from the free-throw line.
Gilgeous-Alexander said the Nuggets had forced the Thunder to raise their game. "They're a really good opponent. They've won championships, they have really good talent, really good coaching and really good schemes," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Playing against them brings out the best in of you. That's the level of basketball that you want to play at the end of the season."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
