BBNBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posts 8th-straight 30-point game in OKC win

Death, taxes, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 30 points in an NBA basketball game. SGA’s scoring dominance this season has become so routine, that he makes it such that putting up 30 points, a feat not easy to accomplish, is borderline mundane. His excellence has become so commonplace, as the writer of many a BBNBA post, I feel the need to arbitrarily give the lede to another former Kentucky player just to spread the love. Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 30 points in a game isn’t all that headline-worthy anymore, so today, this fact is the headline.

SGA scored 35 points on Sunday night against the Devin Booker-less Phoenix Suns to help the Thunder get the win. Book sprained his ankle on Saturday and will miss some time while it heals. Even though Shai did not go up against Phoenix’s best, it likely wouldn’t have mattered. He stuffed the box score with all sorts of crooked numbers, finishing with nine assists, eight rebounds, three steals, and three blocks. Oh, and just one turnover.

This marks Gilgeous-Alexander’s 45th 30-point game this season (he has only played in 59) and his 8th-straight game with at least 30 points, which isn’t even his longest streak. He scored 30 or more in nine straight games at the end of January.

The MVP chants are growing louder for Quade Green’s former backup. No player in the history of the NBA has averaged at least 30 points with fewer turnovers per game than Gilgeous-Alexander this season. SGA leads with an average of 31.2 points per game and just 2.2 turnovers. The next three players on the list are Michael Jordan, Michael Jordan, and Michael Jordan, and he won MVP in each of those seasons.

It’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s world and we are all just watching it on TV.

Immanuel Quickley nearly has triple-double in Raptors win

It wasn’t quite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander type of numbers, but Immanuel Quickley nearly posted a triple-double in the Raptors win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. Quick finished with 22 points, 11 assists, and seven boards as he helped his relatively new team beat the Charlotte Hornets, who were without Nick Richards due to plantar fascia discomfort in his right foot.

Since heading up north to Canada just before the trade deadline, Quickley has started every game in which he has played and is averaging 17.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and six assists per game on 42 percent from the field and 42 percent from behind the arc. Each of these numbers is higher than what he put up during his time in New York.

Quick’s 11 assists Sunday tied his season-high and was the 6th time this season he has recorded at least 10 dimes in a game. He only had four total games with 10-plus assists in his first three NBA seasons.

Like so many other Kentucky guards in the NBA, Quickley just keeps getting better.

Other BBNBA Notes:

• Similar to Gilgeous-Alexander and Quickley, Tyrese Maxey also fits the bill of a former Kentucky guard who just keeps getting better. Maxey had 24 points to help the 76ers get the win over Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
• PJ Washington had an off-shooting night in the Mavericks’ aforementioned loss to Maxey and the Sixers. He finished with 13 points but shot just 3-10 from the field, including 1-7 from deep.
• Keldon Johnson put up another nice game off the bench for the San Antonio Spurs. He had 17 points to help the Spurs earn their second straight win over a team with a record better than 0.500.

BBNBA Statistics for 3/3/2024

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	P/M	MIN
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	118-108 W vs. PHX	35	15-27 (0-5)	8	9	3	3	1	+13	38
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	120-116 W vs. DAL	24	8-15 (1-5)	2	3	2	0	4	+5	39
Immanuel Quickley (TOR)	111-106 W vs. CHA	22	6-14 (2-7)	7	11	0	0	3	+8	36
Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN)	88-89 L vs. LAC	18	7-18 (2-7)	9	8	0	0	3	+14	34
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	117-105 W vs. IND	17	7-13 (3-7)	4	2	0	0	1	+6	27
PJ Washington (DAL)	116-120 L vs. PHI	13	3-10 (1-7)	4	2	1	0	2	+4	35
Cason Wallace (OKC)	118-108 W vs. PHX	5	2-3 (1-1)	2	1	0	0	0	+7	18
Julius Randle (NYK)	107-98 W vs. CLE	DNP-Shoulder
Nick Richards (CHA)	106-111 L vs. TOR	DNP-Foot
Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC)	89-88 W vs. MIN	DNP-CD
Olivier Sarr (OKC) [Two-way]	118-108 W vs. PHX	DNP-CD
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	105-117 L vs. SAS	DNP-CD
Oscar Tshiebwe (IND) [Two-way]	105-117 L vs. SAS	DNP-CD
Devin Booker (PHX)	110-118 L vs. OKC	DNP-Ankle

Tonight in the NBA

7:30: Grizzlies @ Nets
8:00 (NBA TV): Clippers (Boston) @ Bucks (Livingston, T. Washington: Two-way)
8:00: Trail Blazers (Hagans, Sharpe: Out) @ Timberwolves (Towns)
9:00: Wizards @ Jazz (Juzang: Two-way)
10:00: Bulls @ Kings (Lyles, Monk, Fox: Questionable)
10:30 (NBA TV): Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace, Sarr: Two-way) @ Lakers (Davis, Vanderbilt: Out)