Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Ties Wilt Chamberlain's Wild NBA Playoff Record in Game 2 Win

SGA's 34 points powered the Thunder to a Game 2 win and put him in historic NBA playoff company.
The league MVP had 34 points to even the NBA Finals at 1-1
The league MVP had 34 points to even the NBA Finals at 1-1 / Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
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The Oklahoma City Thunder evened the NBA Finals on Sunday night, beating the Indiana Pacers 123–107. It was a full team effort with five Thunder players scoring double-digit points as OKC shook off Game 1's stunner to get the series to 1–1 before the games shift to Indianapolis. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 34 points, and put himself in historic company in the process.

Sunday night marked SGA's ninth consecutive home playoff game with at least 30 points. That makes him one of only two players in NBA history to score at least 30 points in nine straight home playoff games, alongside Wilt Chamberlain (per Greg Harvey of StatsPerform). Entering Game 2, Gilgeous-Alexander was tied with Michael Jordan, Jerry West and Bob Pettit with eight such straight games, according to Stathead.

It was a massive win for the Thunder and the MVP's personal milestone serves as the cherry on top of the sundae. OKC could've easily still been shellshocked by Tyrese Haliburton's crazy game-winner in Game 1 that capped off a huge comeback from Indiana. Instead, the Thunder came out and played with intentionality and intensity to ensure the series is tied entering Game 3.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge. He had a very efficient outing, shooting 11 of 21 from the field, after a Game 1 that saw him miss 16 field goal attempts. His performance on Sunday set the tone early and steadied the Thunder just about every time the Pacers tried to make a run.

Game 3 is set for Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET, and Sunday's win guarantees Gilgeous-Alexander a shot at breaking Chamberlain's record by scoring 30 points in 10 straight home playoff games.


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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.


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