In his second game back from an abdominal injury, All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 100-87 win against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. Gilgeous-Alexander guided the Thunder to a 16-point comeback in a 127-121 win against the Denver Nuggets on Friday before his team won in overtime.
In Sunday's game, Gilgeous-Alexander followed up his 36 points in 34 minutes against the Nuggets with a 30-point performance against the Mavericks in Sunday's win, and gave an update on the injury to reporters during his postgame media availability.
"Okay," Gilgeous-Alexander replied. "I intensified the workouts before the games, I knew I was coming back. The guys who helped me with the workouts did a great job building them up to game legs. So, I feel great. Cardio-wise I don't feel like I missed a beat."
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting, five assists, four rebounds and four steals in 33 minutes.
Mark Daigneault on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Thunder win
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault spoke to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander about his minutes restriction ahead of his return in Friday's matchup against the Nuggets. Capping Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain's streak of scoring 20+ points in 126 consecutive games, Gilgeous-Alexander equaled Chamberlain's 59-game record of 20+ point games.
Daigneault discussed Gilgeous-Alexander's streak as evidence of his continued vision for the Thunder.
Daigneault said, "There's really no difference in his game, home or street. I think some people reach a certain level." "It's his ability to perform consistently in all environments. We've had a lot of guys like that in his role, but he's definitely one of them."
Gilgeous-Alexander extended his streak of scoring 20+ points to 123 consecutive games.
