One of the great scoring runs in NBA history is over. The Gilgeous-Alexander streak, 141 straight games with at least 20 points, ended on Oct. 22 when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 17 in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 96-84 win over the Denver Nuggets.
The streak was the longest of its kind in NBA history, and it ended not with an injury or an off night forced by foul trouble, but with a blowout. Gilgeous-Alexander was scoreless from the field in the first half and chose to stay on the bench in the fourth quarter once Denver waved the white flag. Oklahoma City led comfortably at that point, and there was no reason to bring him back.
A scoreless first half dooms the Gilgeous-Alexander streak
Nothing came easy for Gilgeous-Alexander early. He finished the first half without a field goal, and his only points at the time were a pair of free throws. The Gilgeous-Alexander streak looked shaky by the break, and the third quarter did not start much better.
He got his first field goal at 11:32 in the third quarter with a jumper, then drained a key 3-point shot at the buzzer of the period. The bucket gave him seven points and put the Thunder up 70-64 after trailing by as many as nine. Oklahoma City took control of the game from there.
The fourth quarter, and a choice on the bench
Gilgeous-Alexander made a charge at 20 again in the fourth quarter. His 3-pointer with 1:44 to go prompted a Nuggets timeout, and when both teams returned to the court, all 10 players on the floor, mostly the starters, had been subbed out.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said after the game that he was open to leaving Gilgeous-Alexander in, but the two-time MVP made the decision to stay on the bench when he saw Denver giving up on the game.
“I just think of the class that it shows and the perspective that it shows for him to say, ‘Hey, I’m out now. The game’s calling for me to be subbed out,'” Daigneault said, per ESPN.
Gilgeous-Alexander explained it simply: “I was gonna go out there, and then I saw that (they) had subbed, so I thought we should sub, too. You always treat the game with respect.”
How the Gilgeous-Alexander streak started
The run dated back to the fall of 2024. After scoring 18 against the Spurs on Oct. 30 of that year, Gilgeous-Alexander did not fall short of 20 again for nearly two full seasons. The Gilgeous-Alexander streak covered the rest of that championship season and the start of this one, in which the Thunder opened with a 116-104 win over San Antonio.
Thursday was different from the start. The shots did not fall, the first half passed without a field goal, and by the time the fourth quarter arrived, the Thunder had the game in hand. Rather than chase the number, Gilgeous-Alexander sat with the rest of the starters, and the Gilgeous-Alexander streak became history instead of a headline.
What the Gilgeous-Alexander streak leaves behind
The last time Gilgeous-Alexander scored fewer than 20 points was two years ago, on Oct. 30, 2024. He had 18 points that night in a 105-93 win over the rival San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama. The Thunder went on to win the 2025 NBA Finals that season.
Oklahoma City opened its 2026-27 season with a 116-104 win over the Spurs, and Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points, six rebounds and four assists in that one. He was also the top-ranked player in USA TODAY’s preseason ranking of the top 100 players in the league.
The Gilgeous-Alexander streak spanned nearly two full seasons of remarkable consistency. Night after night, through injuries around him and different defensive schemes thrown his way, the reigning MVP reached 20 points. It ended the way he wanted it to end, with a win and his starters resting in the fourth quarter.