For nearly two full years, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had made scoring 20 points look like the easiest task in basketball. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard entered Thursday night’s matchup with Denver carrying an NBA-record streak of 141 consecutive regular-season games with at least 20 points. By the end of a 96-84 Thunder victory, that extraordinary run was over.
The ending was not a dramatic missed shot at the buzzer. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 17 points, watched the final minutes from the bench and accepted the result as Oklahoma City secured another win. The most interesting part was that he still had a mathematical chance to keep the streak alive when the game was effectively decided.
Three points away from more history
Gilgeous-Alexander had a brutal opening half, missing all seven of his field-goal attempts and scoring only two points from the free-throw line. He finally found some rhythm after halftime, including a transition three-pointer near the end of the third quarter. His scoring total climbed into double figures, and he added 10 points in the fourth.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tonight: 17 Points 6/19 FGM 3/11 3PM 35 Minutes SGA’s streak of 20+ PTS ends at 141 games. https://t.co/JAAOl28fkC
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 23, 2026
With 1:44 left, he hit a three-pointer to reach 17 points and extend Oklahoma City’s advantage to 17. Denver coach David Adelman emptied his bench during the ensuing timeout. Rather than remain on the floor to chase another basket, Gilgeous-Alexander took his place on the Thunder bench. He did not return.
The streak had begun after his previous sub-20-point regular-season game on October 30, 2024. It grew past Wilt Chamberlain’s previous standard of 126 consecutive games and reached 141 before Thursday’s finish. A player who had made nightly scoring excellence feel automatic finally had a game in which the shots simply would not fall.
MORE: Clippers get unexpected opening-night statement from Darius Garland after chaotic offseason
The Thunder won the more important battle
The curious twist is that Oklahoma City still won comfortably. Jalen Williams scored 21 points, Chet Holmgren contributed 12 points and 17 rebounds, and the Thunder forced 13 second-half turnovers. Denver managed just 84 points, with Nikola Jokic held to 13 on 5-of-19 shooting.
That supporting effort allowed Oklahoma City to resist the temptation to turn the closing minutes into a personal scoring chase. Gilgeous-Alexander did not need to extend the streak for his team to finish the night successfully. The reigning two-time MVP had an unusually inefficient performance, but the Thunder’s defense and depth carried the result.
There is a lesson in how this particular record ended. A long scoring streak is partly about talent, partly about health and partly about a player finding a way to produce regardless of circumstances. It is also vulnerable to one cold shooting night, especially when a team has enough of a lead to stop asking its star for points.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s 141-game run will remain one of the most remarkable individual accomplishments of this era. Thursday did not diminish it. If anything, the decision to sit with three points still needed offered a reminder that the best players sometimes have to choose between extending a personal record and letting a victory speak for itself.
