It has been a record-breaking week in the NBA, with Bam Adebayo surpassing Kobe Bryant's mark with 83 points scored in one game, which is technically not a record, as the high mark is still set by Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 in a match in 1962, a record most experts consider unreachable. In fact, Adebayo's mark was dismissed and criticised by many sceptics, as his teammates helped him achieve the mark, and was given 43 free throws, scoring 36.
Then, on Thursday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points in a 104-102 win for Oklahoma City Thunder against the Boston Celtics, and this time he did improve another Chamberlain record: most consecutive games scoring over 20 points, between October 1961 and January 1963, thus including his 100-point game.
The Thunder star and reigning MVP has scored over 20 points in 127 games (one more than Chamberlain), since November 1 2024. "All the records and accomplishments are great, but they don't matter if you don't win and that's all that was on my mind", said Gilgeous-Alexander, who has helped their team remain at the top of the Western Conference, with an impressive record of 52-15. The Boston Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference, with a 43-23 record.