On Thursday night, the Celtics will head into Oklahoma City to take on the defending champions for the first time this season. It’s a marquee matchup between the last two teams to win it all, and the current favorites to win the East and West.
There are countless storylines going into this marquee matchup and potential Finals preview, but perhaps none bigger than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his chance to pass Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA record books.
On Monday night, SGA put up an MVP performance, with 35 points, 15 assists, 9 rebounds, and a couple of wild clutch shots, including the game-winning three in the final seconds to close out the Nuggets. In the effort, Shai scored 20 points or more for an outrageous 126th consecutive time, tying Chamberlain for the all-time record.
Thursday night against the Celtics, Gilgeous-Alexander looks to stand alone and etch his place in the NBA history books.
Wilt’s streak has stood since 1963 without much of a challenge, but SGA has come along and given new meaning to consistent scoring. 20 points in a game may not be what it used to be, but still, the level of consistency it takes to reach at least 20 every single night for this long is absolutely incredible.
Can the Celtics hold SGA under 20 points?
So, do the Celtics have any chance to end the streak? The last time Shai was held under 20 was all the way back in October of 2024. He’s just a machine, and the way he gets to his spots has become completely unstoppable. In theory, Boston has the personnel to give him some trouble, but I’m sure 126 teams in a row have thought something like that.
He’s big enough to give Derrick White fits, and he’s quick and shifty enough to create space against the Jays. The Celtics are likely going to give chances to Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, and Jordan Walsh, seeing if they can find any answers for a man who has been as close to unstoppable as we’ve seen.
The Celtics' defense has been lights out recently, with those young wings all playing a part. It's going to be exciting to see how they respond to this test and stack up against the best scorer in the league.
Celtics don't want to show too much in possible Finals preview
Maybe they’ll throw multiple bodies at SGA, maybe they’ll switch everything, maybe they’ll even try some funky zone or a box and one. Teams have tried everything. None of it has worked. But there are cracks. He was held under 20 multiple times in the playoffs, with teams scheming and gameplanning to stop him.
We know that Joe Mazzulla’s preparation is on another level. Don’t be surprised if he has something up his sleeve for Shai. It’s just a regular season game, both teams may well have a few guys out, and they don’t want to tip their hand in a potential Finals preview, but this would be an incredible achievement, breaking a mark that has stood for over 60 years.
If Joe and his players want to challenge themselves, this would be a great measuring stick and a chance to really rise to the occasion. Who is going to snatch the moment and make themselves into an SGA-stopper?