SGA breaks Wilt’s record: Thunder star’s historic feat, by the numbers
Editor's note: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander broke Wilt Chamberlain's record for most consecutive 20-point games in NBA history (127) against the Boston Celtics on Thursday. On Nov. 1, 2.
Editor’s note: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record for most consecutive 20-point games in NBA history (127) against the Boston Celtics on Thursday.
On Nov. 1, 2024, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points in a 137-114Oklahoma City Thunder win in Portland. It wasn’t an especially notable performance at the time; Gilgeous-Alexander had averaged 30.1 points the previous season en route to an MVP runner-up finish.
Now, 16 months later, that game carries great historical importance, as it was the start of a 127-game odyssey for a player who has since won the regular-season MVP award, been named Finals MVP and has now broken a 63-year-old record.
Against the visiting Celtics, Gilgeous-Alexander scored at least 20 points for the 127th game in a row, dating to that night in Portland. He passed the great Wilt Chamberlain for the longest such streak in NBA history.
It’s a fitting record, based in historic consistency, for the man who once declared, “My whole life is consistent, everything I do.”
To commemorate that consistency, here are the 20 wildest, most extreme and most impressive stats about Gilgeous-Alexander’s historic 20-point streak. (Note: The facts that follow reflect his performance through 126 games.)
1. The first surprise about Gilgeous-Alexander’s accomplishment is that he even came close to Chamberlain’s record. Nobody else had done so previously; before SGA, the second-longest 20-point streak in NBA history belonged to Chamberlain himself, at 92 games. There’s a reason Gilgeous-Alexander considers Chamberlain “almost like a mythical creature,” because his statistical feats were so singular.
Oscar Robertson’s 79-gamer was in third place — which means that for all of NBA history until this season, Chamberlain was the only player to push his streak as long as the equivalent of an entire season. And even Robertson’s streak brought him only 63% of the way to the record.
2. The competition has been even less compelling recently. In the 21st century, Kevin Durant is the only other player to get more than halfway to Chamberlain; he had a 72-gamer that started in his last season in Oklahoma City and ended early in his Warriors tenure. Next on the 21st-century list is Kobe Bryant, who reached 63 games in a row — exactly halfway to Chamberlain’s 126 — from December 2005 to November 2006.
On average, the longest 20-point streak for every MVP this century other than Gilgeous-Alexander is only 36 games.
Longest 20-point streaks from 21st-century MVPs
3. Meanwhile, the next-longest active streak behind SGA belongs to Kawhi Leonard at 42 games, and Leonard and the currently injured Joel Embiid (24 games) are the only active players whose streaks extend back to 2025, let alone 2024. Gilgeous-Alexander’s streak isn’t the result of an era effect so much as a superlative achievement from the reigning MVP — and the heavy favorite to repeat in 2025-26.
4. Against that historical backdrop, it’s worth doing some math to place the extremity of this streak in context. Over the past two seasons, during which Gilgeous-Alexander embarked on his record-setting mission, players named to an All-Star team have scored 20-plus points in 71% of their games. Given that base probability, the odds of an All-Star reaching 20-plus points 126 games in a row are about 1 in 3,200,000,000,000,000,000, or 1 in 3.2 quintillion.
The quintillion range is also the same magnitude as one estimate of the number of grains of sand on Earth. In other words, the chances of a modern NBA All-Star surpassing Chamberlain’s streak are roughly the odds of finding a specific grain of sand somewhere on the entire planet.
5. So how, exactly, did Gilgeous-Alexander beat those outrageous odds and chase down one of Chamberlain’s many long-standing records? One answer is that he excelled from every area on the court.
Splitting Gilgeous-Alexander’s 4,092 points during his streak across the general regions of the offensive end, as defined by GeniusIQ, there is a remarkably even distribution. He has scored between 16% and 25% of his points from all five areas: free throw line, restricted area, key, midrange and 3-point range.
For comparison, the second-highest-scoring player over the past two seasons is Luka Doncic. And while Doncic generates a similar proportion of his points from the charity stripe (23%), he is far more skewed to 3-point range (36%) than closer to the basket (11% from the restricted area). Gilgeous-Alexander’s shot distribution is uniquely egalitarian for a guard in the modern NBA.
6. Gilgeous-Alexander is also not a static player; he has improved during his streak. He is only a 35.9% career 3-point shooter, but he’s up at 39.3% since last year’s All-Star break. That mark places him in the same range as star shooters Stephen Curry (39.8%), Kawhi Leonard (39.0%), Anthony Edwards (38.9%), Desmond Bane (38.8%), and Klay Thompson (38.4%) during that span.
7. Gilgeous-Alexander has also improved inside the arc: He’s making a career-high 60.1% of his 15 2-point attempts per game this season. That’s the most efficient 2-point performance for a guard in NBA history (minimum 10 attempts per game).
8. Gilgeous-Alexander’s overall efficiency is also near the top of the charts thanks to the combination of his improved 3-point marksmanship, historic 2-point accuracy and penchant for drawing fouls (and converting at a 90% clip from the line). With a 66.7% true shooting mark, Gilgeous-Alexander ranks second on the all-time list of 30-point scorers. Only Stephen Curry’s 66.9% figure from 2015-16 — when he won a unanimous MVP award and produced arguably the greatest offensive season in NBA history, with a record-setting 402 3-pointers — ranks higher.
9. Gilgeous-Alexander’s overall efficiency improves further because he’s not just generating positive plays, but avoiding negative ones as well. He’s averaging just 2.1 turnovers per game this season, which is the fewest on record for a player averaging 30 PPG. The previous record belonged to … Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 2.2 turnovers in 2023-24. And last season, he was at 2.4 turnovers per game, which is tied with Michael Jordan’s 1995-96 campaign for the third-fewest.
10. Since the start of last season, Gilgeous-Alexander naturally leads the league in 20-point games. But he is also No. 1 by a wide margin in 30-point games, with 86. Doncic is in second place with 59, which is 31% behind SGA’s total
11. Gilgeous-Alexander is also tied for the most 40-point games since the start of last season; he and Edwards have 18 apiece.
12. And even though Gilgeous-Alexander is known more as a consistent scorer than an explosive one, he also leads the league in 50-point games since the start of last season, with five. Nikola Jokic (four) is the only other player with more than two.
13. Plotting Gilgeous-Alexander’s game-by-game point totals over the course of his 126-game streak reveals another even spread. Gilgeous-Alexander has scored exactly 20 points, 21 points, 22 points and so on, all the way up to 42, at least once.
SGA’s single-game point totals during streak
He is most often clustered in the low 30s. His modal point total during his streak is 30 points on the nose (13 times), followed by 31 (11 times), 35 (nine times) and 32 and 33 (eight times apiece).
14. Those point totals pale in comparison to Chamberlain’s, of course. The Big Dipper averaged 49.2 PPG over his record streak, compared to SGA’s 32.5. But Chamberlain also benefited from now-unheard-of playing time, as he averaged 48.4 minutes per contest and was subbed out in just three of 126 games. (In those games, he still played 45, 40 and 36 minutes.)
Gilgeous-Alexander, for comparison, hasn’t reached 48 minutes in any game during his streak and has far more games with minutes totals in the 20s (24) than 40s (five).
15. Calculating the two stars’ stats on a per-36-minute basis to even out the playing time disparity reveals a much closer competition: 36.6 points per 36 minutes for Chamberlain versus 34.4 from Gilgeous-Alexander.
16. One statistic where the two scoring superstars notably diverge is team success. Oklahoma City has gone 102-24 during Gilgeous-Alexander’s streak, compared to the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors’ 66-60 mark during Chamberlain’s.
17. Zooming out, Gilgeous-Alexander is on pace to average 30-plus PPG for the fourth consecutive season. The only other players in NBA history to accomplish this feat are Chamberlain (seven straight years), Jordan (seven), Robertson (four) and Adrian Dantley (four).
18. The only players to average 30-plus PPG for four straight years and win a title during that span are Gilgeous-Alexander and Jordan.
19. So, returning to Gilgeous-Alexander’s present accomplishment: How high can his 20-point streak climb? After all, Chamberlain’s streak snapped because of a fluke rather than underperformance: After 126 20-point games in a row, he was ejected just four minutes into Game 127 when he received two technical fouls for arguing a foul call against a teammate. Immediately thereafter, Chamberlain eclipsed the 20-point mark for 20 consecutive games, then missed once, then embarked on his 92-game streak.
In other words, Chamberlain was only one ill-timed argument and a few bounces away from an astonishing 240-game 20-point streak, which would have nearly doubled the actual record.
20. Gilgeous-Alexander, conversely, isn’t a threat to be ejected, and he hasn’t even had any close calls of late. Since he returned from injury at the end of February, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 30.8 PPG and scored at least 26 in all five games.
It’s still reasonable to expect his streak to end before too long, just given the sheer odds against even reaching triple digits, let alone continuing in perpetuity. Before his current run, SGA’s longest 20-point streaks were 37 games in 2023, 29 games in 2024 and 20 games in 2023-24. He has clearly leveled up as a scorer over the past two seasons, but plenty of other historically great scorers didn’t get anywhere near 126 games — and counting — in a row.
But that’s all the more reason to appreciate Gilgeous-Alexander’s latest achievement. Matching any of Chamberlain’s multitudinous records is worthy of celebration.
Bam Adebayo’s AAU coach weighs in on historic 83-point performance
Jason Jordan
Mar 13, 2026, 06:20 PMShareLikeOpen Extended Reactions181
Even days after Bam Adebayo‘s 83-point outing, the Miami Heat star’s former AAU coach, Ty White, is stuck in a wild mental dichotomy as he ponders the historic night.
Yes, he’s shocked that the 6-foot-9 center finished with the mind-boggling stat line, but not because he didn’t think he was capable.
It’s just that 83 points is, well, 83 points!
“I mean, it’s so crazy to think that anyone could score that many points in an NBA game,” said White, director of Team Loaded. “But in retrospect, the kid was always a super athlete who always had a nose for the basketball. I wasn’t even watching the game live, so many people started texting me saying, ‘Bam Bam Bam!'”
Adebayo’s 83 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks came in a 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night. He went 7-of-22 from 3 and set an NBA record for most free throws made (36) and attempted (43).
Prior to the game, Adebayo’s career high was 41 points.
Adebayo’s 83 points were the second-most points scored in a game in NBA history, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain‘s legendary 100-point outing in 1962.
White said that, aside from Adebayo’s overwhelming athleticism, he had the innate ability to “do something to ‘wow’ you every game” during his playing days with Team Loaded.
“That was without fail,” White said. “He would do something that would make you just scratch your head at how he was able to do that. We were the most exciting team in the country to watch, and it was mostly because of him.”
White pointed to Adebayo’s development as a scorer over the years, going from a powerful athlete to a meticulously skilled scorer.
“When he was with me, he was more of a lob threat, drop-off guy,” White said. “Now, he’s initiating offense and he’s one of the most versatile players in the league. The way he’s evolved as a player is just unreal.”
That said, White’s amazement at the point total is understandable — Adebayo’s career high with Team Loaded was just 30 points. He averaged 25 points and 15 rebounds a game.
“Eighty-three is just wild, I don’t care who you are,” White said. “He’s got to just believe the sky is the limit after that. His confidence has to be at an all-time high right now and rightfully so. People can say what they want, but at the end of the day he’s No. 2 behind Wilt with 83, and nobody can take that away.”
Fantasy basketball pickups: Sensabaugh, Williams stepping up for Jazz
Andrรฉ SnellingsMar 16, 2026, 06:15 PM
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We are well into the fantasy hoops playoffs at this point, and every game played is magnified in importance. In both daily and weekly leagues, it is important to maximize the number of productive player-games on your squad, and every day there are more lightly rostered players getting elevated opportunities and performing like starters.
So, as we do every week, let’s identify some of these players that can help your squad get to the finish line with the best chance to win.
Scoot Henderson, PG, Portland Trail Blazers (14.5% rostered in ESPN leagues): Henderson has scored in double digits in four straight games, averaging 20.3 PPG, 3.8 3PG and 3.0 APG in 24.8 MPG off the bench over that span.
Ajay Mitchell, Oklahoma City Thunder (37.8% rostered in ESPN leagues): Mitchell returned from his long injury absence without missing a beat. In three games back, he has averaged 16.7 PPG and 4.0 APG in 28.7 MPG.
Quentin Grimes, SG, Philadelphia 76ers (38.1% rostered in ESPN leagues): Grimes has stepped up as the primary scoring option for the 76ers with their three stars all out either injured or suspended. Grimes has scored at least 23 points in four of his last six games and has averaged 29.5 PPG in his last two.
Cody Williams, SG, Utah Jazz (3.8% rostered in ESPN leagues): Williams has ramped up his game tremendously over the last couple of weeks. He has scored in double figures in six straight games, with one points/rebounds double-double and three other games with at least seven assists. He exploded on Sunday with a by-far career-best 34 points alongside seven rebounds and seven assists.
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Brice Sensabaugh, SF, Jazz (25.6% rostered in ESPN leagues): Sensabaugh has started four straight games for the Jazz and scored at least 21 points in all four. In that span, he has notched 25.8 PPG with 4.3 A3PG, 3.3 RPG and 1.8 stocks.
Gui Santos, SF, Golden State Warriors (26.3% rostered in ESPN leagues): Santos has become a consistent plus-scorer for the Warriors. He has started six straight games, averaging 17.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG and 5.0 APG over that span.
Jarace Walker, PF, Indiana Pacers (17.4% rostered in ESPN Leagues): Walker moved into the starting lineup for the Pacers on February 11 and, in the 14 games since, he has notched 15.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 3.9 APG and 1.9 3PG in 31.2 MPG.
Jerami Grant, PF, Trail Blazers (46.8%): Grant has scored at least 20 points in nine of his last 11 games as the most consistent healthy scoring option on the Trail Blazers in that span. He’s also been averaging 2.9 3PG in those games, with his long-range shooting providing a significant portion of his scoring.
Center
Wendell Carter Jr., C, Orlando Magic (30.2% rostered in ESPN leagues): Carter has been productive all season, but in the last week he has stepped up both his scoring and his rebounding to help the Magic stay hot. Over his last three games, he has averaged 15.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG along with a combined three 3-pointers, blocks and steals per game.
Maxime Raynaud, C, Sacramento Kings (33.1% rostered in ESPN leagues): Raynaud has either scored at least 20 points or grabbed double-digit rebounds in 10 of his last 13 games, averaging 15.6 PPG and 9.7 RPG over that span. Raynaud and Precious Achiuwa (40.9% rostered) have formed a strong 1-2 punch in the Kings frontcourt.
NBA consecutive scoring streaks: Player records to know
Keith Jenkins
Mar 18, 2026, 01:34 AMShareLikeOpen Extended Reactions926
What’s more impressive: scoring 100 points in a single game or scoring 60-plus points in three straight games twice in the span of a month and a half?
Wilt Chamberlain accomplished both during a dominant stretch of the 1961-62 NBA season.
One of Chamberlain’s many other NBA scoring records was broken by reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. When the Oklahoma City Thunder guard scored 20 against the Boston Celtics on March 12th, it marked his 127th consecutive game with 20-plus points, breaking Chamberlain’s record of 126 games (1961-63).
While SGA’s streak is going strong, another came to an end. In December 2025, LeBron James‘ streak of consecutive games with 10-plus points ended at 1,297, after scoring eight points in a win against the Toronto Raptors.
Take a look at other consecutive scoring streaks in NBA history below:
Pistons guard Cade Cunningham leaves game with back spasms
ESPN News Services
Mar 18, 2026, 01:06 AMShareLikeOpen Extended Reactions9
WASHINGTON — Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, a two-time All-Star who is among the leaders in the NBA MVP race, left Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Wizards with back spasms.
Cunningham appeared to suffer an injury early in the first quarter while diving for a loose ball. He played for a few more minutes before being taken out at the 6:40 mark.
The team said during the second quarter he would not return.
Cunningham is averaging 25 points, 10 assists and 5.6 rebounds this season. He had six points and two rebounds in 5 minutes, 20 seconds Tuesday night before leaving the game.
Cunningham has played 61 games this season. A player must appear in 65 games to qualify for major postseason awards such as MVP and All-NBA teams.
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