<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-free-throw-merchant-label-hawks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Shai Gilgeous-Alexander destroys ‘free-throw merchant’ label with masterclass vs. Hawks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0250.jpeg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander destroys ‘free-throw merchant’ label with masterclass vs. Hawks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-26T09:48:06-07:00">October 26th, 9:48am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-26T09:48:06-07:00">October 26th, 9:48am</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has risen as one of the NBA’s biggest stars, but along with his rise to stardom has been the label he’s received as a ‘free-throw merchant.’ Fans on social media have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-judge-yourself-shai-gilgeous-alexander-deserved-26-free-throws-pacers">given that label to SGA due to his ability to draw free-throws</a>. But during the Thunder’s 117-100 win against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, SGA showed that he does not need free-throws to be an effective scorer in the NBA.</p><p>In the Thunder’s win against the Hawks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1982450706209485309" rel="noopener">finished with 30 points</a> on 12-of-17 shooting from the field while taking only four free-throws the entire game. He also did not play the entire fourth quarter, and his free-throws came off of and-ones or when the Thunder were in the bonus.</p><p>The free-throw merchant label for Shai never had any bearing, and with the exception of the 2022-23 season, he’s always averaged under double figures in free-throw attempts.</p><p>The clamor was loud though during the Thunder’s first two games of the regular season. Against the Houston Rockets on opening night, Gilgeous-Alexander shot 14 free-throw attempts en route to scoring 35 points. He followed that up <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-sets-career-high-with-55-point-night-vs-pacers">with a career-high 55 points against the Indiana Pacers</a> in an NBA Finals rematch, and shot 26 free-throws in that game.</p><p>Since the first two games of the season skew his average on the higher side, Gilgeous-Alexander is currently averaging 14.7 free-throw attempts per game. It’s likely that as the season goes on, that average will drop closer to his career mark of seven to eight attempts per game. In other words, nothing earth-shattering.</p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off his first MVP award as well as his first NBA championship. The way the Thunder look so far early in the season, he is probably a favorite to win the MVP this year, and the Thunder look like the favorite to repeat as champions.</p><p>Last season, SGA appeared in 76 games for the Thunder at a little over 34 minutes per game. He averaged a league-leading and career-high 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.7 steals with splits of 51.9 percent shooting from the field, 37.5 percent shooting from the three-point line and 89.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander destroys ‘free-throw merchant’ label with masterclass vs. Hawks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-judge-yourself-shai-gilgeous-alexander-deserved-26-free-throws-pacers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Judge for yourself whether Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserved 26 free throws vs. Pacers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Thunder-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander_20695c.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Judge for yourself whether Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserved 26 free throws vs. Pacers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-24T09:35:54-07:00">October 24th, 9:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-24T09:35:54-07:00">October 24th, 9:35am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Oklahoma City Thunder <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-new-nba-ft-record">All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made NBA history</a> with 26 free-throw attempts en route to a career-high 55 points in Thursday’s thrilling 141-135 double-overtime win against the Indiana Pacers. With a combined 40 free throws attempted through two games, Gilgeous-Alexander set a new record for most free throws attempted throughout the first two games of a regular season.</p><p>He topped Hall of Famers Bob Lanier and Wilt Chamberlain, who attempted 38 free throws throughout the same span. For an All-Star who earned the label “free-throw merchant” last season, Gilgeous-Alexander caught flak on social media, as fans accused the reigning MVP of foul baiting in the Thunder’s NBA Finals rematch against the Pacers. Now, it’s time for you to decide if Gilgeous-Alexander deserved 26 free-throw attempts in Thursday’s double-OT victory.</p><p>Watch all of Gilgeous-Alexander’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbG1SeqWW2U" rel="noopener">trips to the free-throw line</a> against the Pacers on Thursday, per MrBuckBuck Clips’ YouTube channel.</p><p>While there are a few questionable fouls called against Gilgeous-Alexander, most of them happened in the first half. The critical fouls down the stretch in both overtime periods were legitimate, as Shai’s pump fakes and spin moves allowed him to absorb contact and draw continuous trips to the free-throw line, as SGA finished the night 23-of-26 from the charity stripe.</p><p>He also went 15-of-31 from the floor, including 2-of-7 from deep, and added eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block, as the league’s reigning MVP is off to a sizzling offensive start amid back-to-back double-overtime victories. Coming off a 35-point performance in Tuesday’s 125-124 win against the Houston Rockets in the season opener, Gilgeous-Alexander is now averaging 45.0 points on 47.4% shooting, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.5 blocks through his first two games of the young 2025-26 campaign.</p><h2><b>Mark Daigneault praises Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Thunder-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-Mark-Daigneault-1.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-mark-daigneault-gushes-sga-quality-besides-scoring-career-night">Mark Daigneault gushed over Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander</a> after Thursday’s win, but it wasn’t over the career-high 55 points or the 26 free throws that led to a new NBA record. Instead, Daigenault highlighted Gilgeous-Alexander’s two turnovers in 45 minutes, which is an impressive feat for a player who’s not only the focal point of the Thunder’s offense but the facilitator as well.</p><p>Daigneault <a href="https://x.com/NickAGallo/status/1981561206273163760" rel="noopener">reminded everyone</a> of Gilgeous-Alexander’s efficiency, which can be easy to overlook amidst a 55-point performance, Daigneault said, per Thunder sideline reporter Nick Gallo.</p><p>“One of the most efficient things about Shai is not just the scoring efficiency, but he doesn’t turn the ball over very much. He’s a great ball control player,” Daigneault said.</p><p>The Thunder continues its three-game road trip against the Hawks on Saturday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Judge for yourself whether Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserved 26 free throws vs. Pacers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-new-nba-ft-record');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander haters won’t like his new NBA FT record');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Thunder-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-1-2.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander haters won’t like his new NBA FT record</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-23T23:01:06-07:00">October 23rd, 11:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-23T23:09:39-07:00">October 23rd, 11:09pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-okc-opens-title-defense-with-ot-feat-not-seen-in-nba-history">Oklahoma City Thunder are off to a historic start in the 2025-26 NBA season</a>, and much of the credit goes to reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In a double-overtime thriller against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-sets-career-high-with-55-point-night-vs-pacers">SGA set a new career high with 55 points</a>, surpassing his previous best of 54 points set last January against the Utah Jazz. He also added eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block in 45 minutes of play.</p><p>A major highlight of Gilgeous-Alexander’s performance was his mastery at the free-throw line. He ended the game with 15-of-31 shooting with 23-of-26 free throws, a new career high for both free throws made and attempted in a single game.</p><p>These numbers contributed to another record: SGA now holds the record for <a href="https://x.com/TomerAzarly/status/1981556700491763822" rel="noopener">the most free throws attempted</a> in a two-game span to start a season, with 40 combined attempts over the Thunder’s first two games, per Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. This surpasses previous benchmarks set by NBA legends like Bob Lanier and Wilt Chamberlain, who attempted 38 free throws in the same span.</p><p>In today’s NBA, drawing fouls and living at the free-throw line is a valuable skill, but it doesn’t always win fans over. Gilgeous-Alexander has mastered this craft to consistently put himself in scoring position. Despite being one of the league’s top talents, Gilgeous-Alexander often faces criticism, frequently labeled a “free-throw merchant” on social media. Last season, he led the NBA with 601 free throws made, outpacing James Harden’s 505 and Trae Young’s 491 by a wide margin.</p><p>Oklahoma City has now played double overtime in each of its first two games, winning both, a feat never before accomplished in NBA history. The season opener saw the Thunder defeat the Houston Rockets 125-124 in double OT, with SGA scoring 35 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the field and 10-for-14 from the free-throw line over 47 minutes.</p><p>On Thursday, Oklahoma City beat the Pacers 141-135 in a rematch of last summer’s NBA Finals, when the team won its first championship since relocating from Seattle. Gilgeous-Alexander scored nine points in the second overtime to put the result beyond doubt and became the first player in franchise history to record five 50-point games, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-sga-russell-westbrook-okc-record">tying Russell Westbrook’s franchise mark</a>. Playing 92 minutes in two games, SGA has been unstoppable to start the season.</p><p>Supporting cast performances were also crucial. Ajay Mitchell scored a career-high 26 points, Aaron Wiggins added 23, and Chet Holmgren posted 15 points and 12 rebounds. The Thunder collectively made 45 of 51 free throws, dominating a game that featured 70 personal fouls and 91 total free throws.</p><p>Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin led his team with 36 points and 11 rebounds, while Pascal Siakam contributed 32 points and 15 rebounds. The Pacers were missing Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, and lost Andrew Nembhard to a shoulder injury in the second quarter.</p><p>After a day of rest, the Thunder will hit the road, facing the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, followed by a matchup against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday before returning home.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander haters won’t like his new NBA FT record

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-mark-daigneault-gushes-sga-quality-besides-scoring-career-night');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder HC Mark Daigneault gushes over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s quality besides scoring after career night');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-1-1.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Thunder HC Mark Daigneault gushes over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s quality besides scoring after career night</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-23T21:26:20-07:00">October 23rd, 9:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-23T21:26:20-07:00">October 23rd, 9:26pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Mark Daigneault sang his praises toward Shai Gilgeous-Alexander following the Oklahoma City <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-sets-career-high-with-55-point-night-vs-pacers">Thunder’s double overtime win over the Indiana Pacers</a> on Thursday night.</p><p>Going into the game, the Thunder began their quest for a repeat, having won the NBA championship last season. A repeat would allow them to garner recognition as a potential dynasty in the making, presenting them as a formidable opponent for the foreseeable future.</p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander will be at the center of that, having secured NBA Finals MVP with his efforts. He didn’t miss a single step in the opener, finishing with 55 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block. He shot 15-of-31 from the field, including 2-of-7 from beyond the arc, and 23-of-26 from the free-throw line.</p><p>Daigneault <a href="https://x.com/NickAGallo/status/1981561206273163760" rel="noopener">reflected on his star guard’s performance</a> after the game, per reporter Nick Gallo. Even though Gilgeous-Alexander reached a career high in scoring, the head coach focused on his ball security as he only turned the ball over twice in 45 minutes of action.</p><p>“One of the most efficient things about Shai is not just the scoring efficiency, but he doesn’t turn the ball over very much. He’s a great ball control player,” Daigneault said.</p><h2><b>How Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder played against Pacers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-2_4ccbf8.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Mark Daigneault is right to point out other traits of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s skillset. This proved to be crucial in the Thunder escaping with the double-overtime win on the road against the Pacers.</p><p>It was a matchup to remember with it being a rematch of the NBA Finals, albeit with a few key players missing due to injury. The game more than made up for that as Mathurin shined in the opener with 36 points while combating Gilgeous-Alexander’s 55-point outing.</p><p>Rebounding and free throws made the difference in this thrilling matchup. The Thunder prevailed by securing 60 rebounds while making 45 out of 51 shots at the line for an 88.2% clip. It was similar for the Pacers, but to a lesser extent. Indiana grabbed 55 rebounds but only managed to convert 30 of their 40 free throws throughout the night.</p><p>Four players scored in double-digits on Oklahoma City’s behalf, including Gilgeous-Alexander. Ajay Mitchell had an excellent performance off the bench with 26 points, four assists, three rebounds, and a steal. He shot 9-of-19 overall and 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. Aaron Wiggins came next with 23 points and nine rebounds, Chet Holmgren had 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Luguentz Dort provided seven points and eight rebounds.</p><p>The Thunder will look forward to their next matchup, being on the road. They face the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder HC Mark Daigneault gushes over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s quality besides scoring after career night

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-joins-wilt-chamberlain-michael-jordan-in-nba-history');   ga('set', 'title', 'Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joins Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan in NBA history');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-surveys-the-floor-during-the-Thunder-Pacers-game.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joins Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan in NBA history</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-23T20:26:37-07:00">October 23rd, 8:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-23T20:38:24-07:00">October 23rd, 8:38pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his free time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter and Instagram for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Indiana Pacers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Oklahoma City Thunder began their NBA Championship defense in the 2025-26 regular season with two consecutive double-overtime games. But thanks to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder are coming out of it <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-sets-career-high-with-55-point-night-vs-pacers">with a 2-0 record.</a></p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander recorded a new career-high 55 points in the Thunder’s 141-135 win over the Indiana Pacers. The 2024-25 MVP and NBA Finals MVP shot 15-of-31 from the field, 2-of-7 from three, and 23-of-26 from the free throw line. He also added eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one blocked shot in 45 minutes of play.</p><p>In his first two games of the season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has now recorded 90 points in his 92 minutes of play. That’s the <a href="https://x.com/TomerAzarly/status/1981555960352297221">fifth highest scoring two-game span</a> in NBA history to start a season. The Thunder star trails only Wilt Chamberlain (106, 105), Anthony Davis (95), and Michael Jordan (91)</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Most points in a 2-game span in NBA history to start a season:</p><p>1. Wilt Chamberlain — 106<br>2. Wilt Chamberlain — 105<br>3. Anthony Davis — 95<br>4. Michael Jordan — 91<br>5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — 90</p><p>Shai also scored a new career-high 55 points in tonight's win vs. the Pacers. <a href="https://t.co/1OeiAZNJ67">pic.twitter.com/1OeiAZNJ67</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1981555960352297221?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>In the Thunder’s opening game of the season against the Houston Rockets, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 35 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks in 47 minutes of play. </p><p>Additionally, Gilgeous-Alexander also became the new record-holder for most free throws in a two-game span to start a season. His 40 free throws attempted through the first two games of the season surpassed both Bob Lanier (38) and Wilt Chamberlain (38)</p><p>The Thunder have been playing without Jalen Williams as he recovers from offseason wrist surgery. Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso, who both played in the opener, were also out for Thursday’s game against the Pacers.</p><p>It didn’t matter, however, as Aaron Wiggins finished his spot start with 23 points and nine rebounds while Ajay Mitchell poured in 26 points and four assists off the Thunder bench.</p><p>Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 36 points and 11 rebounds while Pascal Siakam added 32 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists.</p><p>The Oklahoma City Thunder will now travel to Atlanta where they’ll face the Hawks in their third game of the season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will try to continue his red-hot start on Saturday, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30PM EST.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
35.8	5.5	5.8	1.0	1.5

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
35.8	5.5	5.8	1.0	1.5

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

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