Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s NBA-record run of 141 consecutive regular-season games with at least 20 points ended Thursday, but Oklahoma City still beat Denver 96-84 in its home opener.
The Thunder guard finished with 17 points and chose to leave late after seeing Denver remove its starters, putting a comfortable team victory ahead of another scoring milestone.
The Associated Press reported that Gilgeous-Alexander initially intended to return after a timeout. Once he noticed Denver’s substitutions, he returned to the bench with the outcome effectively settled.
“You always treat the game with respect,” he said. Coach Mark Daigneault indicated he would have allowed his star another opportunity, but welcomed the decision to stop.
The streak began November 1, 2024, and stretched across nearly two years of regular-season basketball. Its ending leaves Gilgeous-Alexander’s record intact while closing a remarkable individual run.
Thursday offered an unusually difficult scoring night. Gilgeous-Alexander missed all seven first-half shots and reached halftime with two points, before finding more success after the break against Denver.
He finished 6-for-19 from the field and scored 10 fourth-quarter points. His final three-pointer gave Oklahoma City a 93-76 lead shortly before he left for the night.
That late recovery made 20 points conceivable again. Instead, the two-time reigning MVP accepted a different conclusion, with his team already holding a decisive advantage over the visitors.
The distinction matters when assessing the performance: the record stopped, but the Thunder’s offense did not depend entirely on its leading scorer escaping a rough shooting start.
Jalen Williams led Oklahoma City with 21 points, while Chet Holmgren supplied 12 points and 17 rebounds, according to the AP game recap carried by Sportsnet on Friday.
Those contributions helped the Thunder improve to 2-0 after opening the season with a win at San Antonio. Denver was playing its first game of the new campaign.
The Nuggets had led by as many as nine points. Oklahoma City recovered to lead 70-64 after three quarters, then widened the gap during the closing period.
Denver received 20 points from Aaron Gordon and 13 from Nikola Jokic. Jokic shot 5-for-19, making this a difficult offensive night for both teams’ biggest stars in Oklahoma City.
Reuters reported that Oklahoma City forced 13 Denver turnovers after halftime, turning those mistakes into 19 points. Fourteen points off turnovers came during the decisive fourth quarter.
That defensive pressure supplied another route to victory on a night when the Thunder made only 25.6% of their three-point attempts, according to the same game report.
The result underlined Oklahoma City’s ability to win without a typical scoring performance from its centerpiece. Rebounding, defensive disruption and support from teammates carried meaningful weight throughout.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s exit also kept a personal pursuit from becoming the final act of a decided game. His explanation framed the choice around the opponent’s substitutions and competitive respect.
His next opportunity comes Sunday, when Oklahoma City hosts the Los Angeles Clippers. Denver returns home to face New Orleans on Saturday, seeking its first win this season.
The immediate task for the Thunder is continuing their unbeaten start, rather than preserving a streak that has already rewritten the record book over the past two seasons.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished short of his familiar threshold, yet Oklahoma City finished comfortably ahead. The individual run ended with a victory and a decision his coach openly appreciated.
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