No player, other than a certain Canadian sensation, has tallied more than one 50-point game this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has four. The latest of which came last night when he put on a 51-point masterclass against the Houston Rockets while shooting 18-of-30 from the field.
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Impressively, the OKC guard was without a 50-point game for the first 397 appearances of his career. However, since tallying a career-high 54 against Utah in late January, Shai has been on a dominant run over the past 8 weeks.
His performance helped the Thunder secure their 50th win of the season and that’s the aspect of the game that Gilgeous-Alexander highlighted during his press conference.
“You play the game to win. Like, you don’t play the game to score a bunch of points. You don’t play the game to get a bunch of rebounds or assists or steals, like for stats. You don’t play for anything besides to win, and that’s what it’s all about,” the 26-year-old stated.
For a top two MVP candidate to play down their individual brilliance reflects well on OKC’s mentality. Despite being the youngest team in the NBA this season, the Thunder have displayed tremendous maturity and focus to secure the best record in a highly competitive Western Conference. And it’s not a byproduct of Shai’s brilliance; it’s the goal for him and his teammates.
“To be, like, regarded as one of the better players to ever play, you have to win. ‘Cause if you don’t win, then it’s all for nothing. That’s just how I see it… Winning is the be all, end all for me,” SGA added.
"You play the game to win."@shaiglalex doesn't concern himself with the numbers if they don't result in wins 😤
OKC secured their 50th win of the season behind Shai's 51-PT outing. pic.twitter.com/XXY6ybBDoK
— NBA (@NBA) March 4, 2025
Out of his four 50-point performances this season, all but one ended in victory for OKC. That fact lends credence to Gilgeous-Alexander being more than just a scorer. As he put it, he simply wants to do whatever his team needs from him to secure the win.
On some nights, that means putting the scoring load on his back. And he’s certainly proven how capable he is of carrying that load. But once the postseason tips off, it will be SGA and the Thunder’s mentality that will make or break their chances of success.
With one of the deepest and most versatile rosters in the league, OKC needs to rally behind wins instead of statistics. Almost every player in their lineup can perform on both ends of the floor, and on any given night, their responsibilities will differ according to their matchups.
The Thunder have described their approach as the ‘0-0 mentality’. Head coach Mark Daigneault broke down the team’s mindset early last year.
“You start the game 0-0 and so does your opponent. And the game is unwritten. What happened yesterday and what happens tomorrow, both of those things are irrelevant. All that’s relevant is what’s right in front of you,” the 40-year-old shared.
It’s this kind of focus that young teams need to excel in the Playoffs. Anything can, and usually does happen in a seven-game series. But instead of thinking about a previous loss or win, the Thunder are training their players to focus only on what they can control — the next four quarters.
That mentality was clearly reflected by Shai last night. For the NBA’s scoring leader to profess that he plays to win and not to record numbers presents a promising outlook for OKC as they head into their second consecutive postseason of the Gilgeous-Alexander era.
