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Amid the latest injury update on Nikola Jokic and the other sidelined Denver Nuggets players, trade rumors hint at a replacement for the star.
The NBA’s top two MVP candidates put on a show on Monday, March 9. The Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder put together a heavyweight battle, which ended in favor of the latter squad.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic were by far the two top players on the floor on Monday, and the Thunder’s star guard made history when he scored his 20th point on the night.
via NBA, X: 126 STRAIGHT 20+ POINT GAMES 🚨 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has tied Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time record!
After the game, the Nuggets’ star center praised Gilgeous-Alexander for his accomplishment.
Nikola Jokic Reacts to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Historic Feat
“I don’t know that people know how hard it is to do that. To make it 20 points in 20 games—not 120 what it is—it’s special. He’s a special player. It’s a pleasure and a privilege to battle against him,” Jokic told reporters after the game.
Anthony Slater
Nikola Jokic on SGA tying Wilt with 126 consecutive 20-point games
“I don’t know that people know how hard it is to do that. To make 20 pointsin 10 (straight) games, not 120 whatever it is, it’s special. He’s a special player.”
Entering the matchup, Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic were the two MVP frontrunners. Many are claiming that the Monday night battle should be the deciding match, but there’s still plenty of basketball left to be played.
With that game in the bag, Gilgeous-Alexander is shooting 55% from the field this season, along with knocking down 38% of his threes. He is averaging 31.7 points per game.
The veteran guard is also coming down with 4.5 rebounds per game, while dishing out 6.6 assists per game, to just 2.1 turnovers.
Last year, Gilgeous-Alexander posted 32.7 points per game (league’s scoring champion), 5.0 rebounds per game, and 6.4 assists per game. He was the MVP winner over Nikola Jokic for the first time in his career.
With the NBA’s 65-game rule in place these days, Gilgeous-Alexander is in dangerous territory of losing his eligibility. The Thunder superstar has just five games of cushion. This year, SGA suffered an abdominal injury, which sidelined him for most of February.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during an NBA game.
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Last week, Gilgeous-Alexander spoke on the NBA’s 65-game rule.
“Health is first and foremost. If I couldn’t go tonight, I wouldn’t force it. Or if I couldn’t go into the next six, I wouldn’t force it for the requirement. Just because my health is first and foremost over awards and things like that,” he told reporters.
“Now, I don’t mind the rule because in history, the guys who have won awards have played most of the seasons. Whether there’s a hard line or not, you have to play most of the games most of the time. It’s 65% of them or 65 out of the 82 to win an award as well. I think it’s reasonable.”
Gilgeous-Alexander is currently in better standing than Jokic. The Nuggets center suffered a knee injury back in December, which sidelined him for 16 games in a row. While he doesn’t typically miss enough time to threaten his availability for the end-of-year awards, Jokic has just one game left before he’s ineligible.
For the time being, Gilgeous-Alexander is earning his stripes as the league’s top competitor. His current historic run surely helps his case, as well as the overall success of the team he’s leading.
With Monday’s victory over the Nuggets, Oklahoma City advances to 51-15 on the year. They are on a six-game winning streak and are placed 3.0 games ahead of the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs.
Next up, the Thunder are set to face the Boston Celtics on Thursday, March 12. The game tips off at 9:30 PM ET.