BBNBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Boosts All-Star Hype on Tuesday

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder bested Keldon Johnson’s San Antonio Spurs in a 130-114 matchup on Tuesday. Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points on an incredibly efficient 9-14 shooting. He also added eight assists, six rebounds, and four blocks. Johnson had a very solid game in his own right with 19 points with three rebounds.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander thrives on proving people wrong. All of Big Blue Nation can attest as he surged around this time in the schedule for the 2017-18 Wildcats. It was deja vu in the NBA as Shai was a draft day trade from Charlotte to the Clippers for Miles Bridges and a few second-round picks. After a solid rookie season in LA, the Clippers decided to acquire Paul George from the Thunder. In doing so, they had to say goodbye to Shai, but looking back, the trade showed how little SGA was valued.

In order to acquire Paul George, the Clippers departed with Danilo Gallinari, seven first-round picks, AND Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Looking back, the Clipper organization wouldn’t make the trade as a straight swap of Gilgeous-Alexander for George. 

The Canadian mid-range sniper is easy to love. But, unfortunately, he has been constantly overlooked by organizations in the NBA. However, in the first year, he was handed the keys to the Oklahoma City franchise and has put up insane numbers. So far in 2022, SGA is averaging 31.6 PPG (3rd in the NBA) with five and five. 

This play shows why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is so difficult to defend

Goes to x2 speed to get past Nurkic, and then hits .5 speed to slowly Euro step around Jerami Grant for an easy finish in a crucial part of the game. pic.twitter.com/tobGESBx2q

— Andrew Schlecht (@AndrewKSchlecht) December 22, 2022

The conversation a year ago was that Gilgeous-Alexander was an All-Star Game snub. Nowadays, Gilgeous-Alexander will be in the conversation for All-NBA.

The rest of the NBA must be scared for the future of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sure, the Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka Thunder teams were fun, but this can be different. Thunder GM (and whiz) Sam Presti has collected first-round draft picks like Ash Ketchum catches Pokémon. Along with that, the Thunder aren’t paying ANYONE. That is not an exaggeration; SGA and Lu Dort are the only Thunder players that make more than $10 million per year.

Presti’s masterstroke in rebuilding a franchise gives Gilgeous-Alexander a fascinating future. Shai’s numbers are reminiscent of Devin Booker’s numbers on the bad Suns’ teams. As we all know, the Suns then made it to the NBA Finals in 2020. The Thunder organization is doing something similar, but substituting Chris Paul and Cameron Johnson for Victor Wembanyama and Bronny James. Either way, it’s time to crown Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

De’Aaron Fox and Jamal Murray Battle in Awesome Matchup

Jamal Murray‘s Denver Nuggets traveled to Sacramento to play De’Aaron Fox‘s Kings. The Nuggets took the W behind Murray’s 25 points and seven assists. Murray has been solid this season averaging 18.3 PPG with 5.7 assists. The Kentucky Kings fell at home although Fox scored a good 26 points on 10-16 shooting. Malik Monk and Trey Lyles added eight and 11 points, respectively.

Other BBNBA Notes

• Immanuel Quickley struggled from the field with only 13 points. However, Quickley showed immense IQ with 14 assists in a New York Knicks win over the Dallas Mavericks. Quickley hasn’t had the season that some expected, but a second-half resurgence is incoming for the former Cat. His teammate and former Wildcat, Julius Randle, is also balling for the Knicks. He added a double-double of 29 points and 18 rebounds in a season where Randle will be in the conversation for the All-Star Game. Randle has taken all of the heat of being a New York star and has become a monster. The Knicks are 18-16 on the season and should be a middle-of-the-pack team in a stacked Eastern Conference playoff picture.

12/27/2022 Statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	MIN	+/-
Julius Randle (NYK)	121-126 L vs. DAL	29	11-23 (5-11)	18	4	0	0	2	45	+2
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	130-114 W vs. SAS	28	9-14 (0-0)	6	8	2	4	4	33	+11
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	106-113 L vs. DEN	26	10-16 (3-5)	1	4	0	0	5	31	-8
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	114-130 L vs. OKC	19	7-18 (2-6)	3	2	0	0	2	31	-4
PJ Washington (CHA)	105-110 L vs. GSW	14	5-14 (2-6)	3	4	1	1	2	33	-2
Immanuel Quickley (NYK)	121-126 L vs. DAL	13	5-21 (1-10)	3	15	1	0	1	51	0
Trey Lyles (SAC)	106-113 L vs. DEN	11	4-10 (1-6)	10	1	0	0	3	24	-4
Malik Monk (SAC)	134-120 W vs. LAL	8	3-10 (0-5)	2	1	1	1	2	26	-3
Wenyen Gabriel (LAL)	129-110 W vs. ORL	5	2-5 (1-2)	6	1	0	0	0	15	+11

Tonight in the NBA

7:00: Magic @ Pistons (Diallo, Knox, Noel)
7:00: Suns (Booker) @ Wizards
7:30: Nets @ Hawks
7:30 (NBA TV): Lakers (Davis: out, Gabriel) @ Heat (Adebayo: questionable, Herro)
8:00: Bucks @ Bulls
8:00: Timberwolves (Towns: out) @ Pelicans
10:00: Jazz (Vanderbilt) @ Warriors
10:00 (NBA TV): Nuggets (Murray) @ Kings (Fox, Lyles, Monk)