MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drops career-high 54 points

Prior to Wednesday night, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had never scored more than 45 points in a single NBA game. He surpassed that mark by nine points in a win over the Utah Jazz.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who remains the betting favorite to win the 2024-25 NBA MVP award, exploded for a career-high 54 points last night as his Oklahoma City Thunder came out with a 123-114 win over the Jazz. It was an all-around masterpiece of a performance from the former Kentucky Wildcat. SGA added eight rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks to his stat line in just 37 minutes. He shot 17-35 from the field, 3-10 from deep, and 17-18 from the free throw line.

“I feel like I wasn’t my best tonight regardless of what the scoreboard says,” Gilgeous-Alexander said postgame, according to Brandon Rahbar of the Daily Thunder. “I feel like I’ve had better games this season.”

Shai. Gilgeous. Alexander.

New career high 🚨 pic.twitter.com/jsTXYu6rVT

— Canada Basketball (@CanBball) January 23, 2025

SGA poured in 23 first-half points to give the Thunder a 57-55 lead at the halftime break. He was even better in the third quarter though with 18 points that gave OKC a six-point lead going into the final quarter. His 50th point came on his signature pull-up jump shot over Lauri Markkanen with under 90 seconds left in regulation. With the win, OKC is now tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the league’s best record (36-7).

Gilgeous-Alexander became the 10th NBA player this season to reach the 50-point mark. He actually scored a then career-high 45 points twice already in 2024-25, but hitting 50 points is an even greater achievement and another bullet point he’ll add to his MVP resume. He’s already won Western Conference Player of the Month awards for November and December.

If the season were to end right now, Gilgeous-Alexander would be the likely choice for MVP. He would become the first-ever Kentucky alum to receive the honor in NBA history. The 26-year-old point guard came up just short last season with a second-place MVP finish. He came in fifth in 2022-23, as well. It sounds crazy to say when he’s playing at this level, but he’s still yet to hit his peak.

Through 42 games played this season, Gilgeous-Alexander is producing one of the best scoring seasons we’ve seen in some time. He’s posting per-game averages of 32 points, 6.1 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 34.2 minutes per outing on shooting splits of 53/34.8/90.2. FanDuel currently has SGA at -600 odds to win MVP. He’s ahead of three-time MVP winner Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, who sits in second with +420 odds.

There’s still half a season left, but Gilgeous-Alexander has put himself in great position to land MVP.