Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander achieved some impressive NBA scoring history against the Boston Celtics, just a few days after Bam Adebayo shocked the world.
Fans marveled at the Miami Heat star’s offensive outburst against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday evening, as he went off for 83 points in his team’s 150-129 victory. However, it also drew intense scrutiny for the fact that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra kept Adebayo in for 42 minutes, including the fourth quarter with the game already in hand.
That scoring mark put Adebayo second in the record books for most points in a single game, behind only Wilt Chamberlain. On Thursday evening, SGA followed up Bam’s impressive 83-point game by surpassing a previous record held by the legendary Chamberlain.
Heat’s Bam Adebayo Reveals Michael Jordan’s Message After Scoring 83
Gilgeous-Alexander recorded yet another consecutive game in which he scored 20 points or more. Thursday night’s performance against Boston was the 127th in his career, surpassing Chamberlain’s previous mark of 126.
By halftime of his team’s home game against the Celtics, SGA had tallied 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including going 2-of-3 on his three-point shots. In the second half, he was able to hit 20 points or more with ease.
He officially achieved the record with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter after sinking a jump shot to tie the game 69-69. The NBA shared the historic news, including a highlight clip of the shot where SGA broke the record.
SGA joined the NBA in 2018 as the No. 11 pick, heading over to the Los Angeles Clippers for his rookie season. After the season concluded, he was traded to the Thunder, who made a very smart move.
He led the team in his MVP season to the NBA Finals, where the Thunder, formerly the Seattle SuperSonics, captured its first championship under the Oklahoma City Thunder name. He’s a four-time NBA All-Star, one-time league MVP, and last season’s NBA Finals MVP.
The Thunder remain the favorites to win the championship again this year, and with SGA’s scoring performances, OKC is a tough team to take down.
Chamberlain’s previous record arrived between the 1961-62 season and 1963. Over 60 years later, a player in the modern era has surpassed his record, showing that there could be more record-breaking performances on the way, based on the level of talent that is coming to the league year after year.
Bam Adebayo Sends 3-Word Message After 83-Point Game for Heat
For more about the NBA, visit Newsweek Sports.
Read the full article here
