Over the last several seasons, one of the most hotly debated topics in the NBA has been who between OKC Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dallas Mavericks stud Luka Doncic is the superior player.
While there may be strong cases for both parties, following Tuesday's high-intensity face-off it seems the Oklahoma City cornerstone now has a leg up.
Willing his team to victory during the NBA Cup Quarterfinals, not only did SGA and the Thunder keep their hopes of winning the illustrious tournament and the $500K cash prize alive but, simultaneously, they eliminated Dallas in payback-esque fashion for their part in bouncing OKC from last year's playoffs.
Though the victory proved to be an all-around team effort, with several stud performances found strewn throughout the 48-minute exhibition, leading the charge for his squad was Gilgeous-Alexander who put forth a truly lethal showing on both ends of the floor.
His efforts were so impressive, in fact, that Doncic himself couldn't help but praise the 26-year-old during his postgame media session, labeling him as nothing short of "an amazing player."
Luka Doncic praises OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
"Overall he's a great scorer, gets his teammates involved. A lot of times it's hard to stop him. I think at some point you've got to send two, three players . It's amazing to play against a guy like that," Doncic said in regard to Gilgeous-Alexander.
In 38 minutes played on the night, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander absolutely stuffed the stat sheet with a whopping 39 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and a block while shooting a ridiculously efficient 65.2 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from distance.
Impressively enough, while these numbers are absolutely elite, when compared to is averages against Dallas over their last eight matchups, they are simply par for the course.
Including both regular season and playoff outings, the Thunder guard has found himself posting all-around averages of roughly 33 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 stocks (steals and blocks).
Comparatively, during this same number of games, Doncic is posting roughly 24 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 stocks.
In games where both Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic have been active, the Mavericks find themselves boasting a 5-3 record.
For the most part, every face-off between these clubs as of late have proven to be must-watch television. Luka has been a major fan of them along the way, specifically stating in his postgame press conference that that "the battles" they've had have been fun.
This season, the head-to-head record between the Thunder and Mavericks is all tied up at 1-1, with two more remaining on the docket.
With a January 17 road tilt in the Lone Star State and a January 23 homestand right on the horizon, Oklahoma City fans should already have these follow-up bouts marked on their calendars.