Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder has been on an incredible hot streak, which has helped the team extend their winning streak to 12 games heading into their Thursday matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers. This is the longest winning streak for the Thunder since they moved from Seattle.
During this stretch, Gilgeous-Alexander has been putting up impressive numbers: 33.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 56.6%.
“I feel like I’m flowing,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “I’m not pressing, I’m not thinking, I’m just out there hoopin’. The hard work is paying off.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, who started his career with the Clippers before being traded to Oklahoma City in 2019, had a huge game last Tuesday, scoring 40 points with four steals in the Thunder’s 113-105 win over Minnesota. In the last matchup between the Thunder and Clippers on November 11, a 134-128 win for Oklahoma City, Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 45 points.
Despite the absence of Chet Holmgren, who is out with a hip injury, offseason addition Isaiah Hartenstein has stepped up and made a difference for the Thunder. Hartenstein praised Gilgeous-Alexander, saying, “It’s weird… it feels like he’s not forcing it.
He’s not going out there thinking about himself. He’s going out there trying to help the team, and he’s still getting 40. That’s why I think he should be the MVP this year.”
The Thunder are 16-1 since Hartenstein’s debut, with him earning 13 double-doubles during that time.
Meanwhile, the Clippers are coming off a tough loss to the San Antonio Spurs, 122-86, on Tuesday. Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said, “Mentally we’ve got to be tougher and we’ve got to be better.” The Thunder have won both of the first two meetings between the teams this season, largely due to the Clippers’ high number of turnovers, totaling 46 in the two games, leading to 55 points for Oklahoma City.
Lue acknowledged that the Clippers need to limit turnovers against a team like the Thunder, who are excellent at scoring.
The Clippers are also looking forward to the return of their star player, Kawhi Leonard, who has missed the season so far due to right knee inflammation. Leonard has been ramping up his activity and could make his season debut against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. Despite Leonard’s absence, the Clippers are holding strong in sixth place in the Western Conference.
Clippers guard James Harden believes Leonard is mindful of the team’s current chemistry and wants to fit in without disrupting their flow: “He feels like he doesn’t want to come over and just mess up the flow and chemistry that we have been building up. I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”
