<!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-pistons-announcer-roasted-petty-shai-gilgeous-alexander-hate');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pistons announcer roasted by Thunder fans for spewing petty Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hate');   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/2025/04/Gilgeous-Alexander-warms-up-1.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pistons announcer roasted by Thunder fans for spewing petty Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hate</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-03T14:39:22-07:00">April 3rd, 2:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-03T14:39:22-07:00">April 3rd, 2:39pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Wednesday evening, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunders-mark-daigneault-stresses-critical-habits-despite-massive-standings-lead">Oklahoma City Thunder picked up</a> their 64th win of the season with a home victory over the Detroit Pistons. As has so often been the case, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-edges-out-nikola-jokic-in-espn-mvp-straw-poll">MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander</a> led the way with 33 points in this one, dominating the game on both ends of the floor.</p><p>While most of the fans in attendance were thrilled by the electrifying performance from the Thunder’s superstar, one person who wasn’t so happy with what was unfolding was Pistons play by play announcer George Blaha, who had some not-so-friendly <a href="https://x.com/jokicgoatic15/status/1907712772827193407" rel="noopener">things to say</a> about Gilgeous-Alexander as he took free throws with under a minute remaining in the Thunder victory.</p><p>“A measly three assists for Gilgeous-Alexander and 10/26 shooting,” said Blaha, per Jokicism on X. “He may be the MVP but he’s not the best player in the world. The Joker is the best player in the world. He had a 61-point triple-double last night and had more than three assists.”</p><p>“The Joker” would of course refer to Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, who indeed put together a historic performance 24 hours prior.</p><p>The salty commentary drew a host of reactions from Thunder fans in the comment section.</p><p>“The difference is one is winning games,” noted one user.</p><p>Another fan referenced a recent altercation between the Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves in making their point.</p><p>“Detroit and Minnesota are the two saltiest NBA organizations from top to bottom. Coaches, players, media, fans. No surprise they brawled the other night. Denver is climbing,” they wrote.</p><h2><b>A historic MVP race</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Gilgeous-Alexander-warms-up-1.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Nikola Jokic is putting together arguably the greatest offensive season in NBA history, but the Nuggets’ lackluster performance in the standings as well as potential voter fatigue from his winning three out of the last four MVP’s have caused many to view Thunder star Gilgeous-Alexander as the frontrunner to win the award.</p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander has led the Thunder–the league’s youngest team–to having its best record by a significant margin, and he’s also shown his prowess on both ends of the floor, whereas Jokic is mainly known for offense.</p><p>In any case, the MVP award will be announced during the first few weeks of the NBA playoffs, which Thunder fans hope will be the middle of a run to the NBA Finals.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pistons announcer roasted by Thunder fans for spewing petty Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hate

<!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-carmelo-anthony-shai-gilgeous-alexander-dwyane-wade-comparison');   ga('set', 'title', 'Carmelo Anthony drops Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-Dwyane Wade comparison');   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/2025/04/Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander.jpg"><figcaption>© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Carmelo Anthony drops Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-Dwyane Wade comparison</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-03T11:09:17-07:00">April 3rd, 11:09am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-03T11:09:17-07:00">April 3rd, 11:09am</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-edges-out-nikola-jokic-in-espn-mvp-straw-poll">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being in the MVP race</a>, former Oklahoma City Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony gave <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1907848806848200793" rel="noopener">a penny for his thoughts</a>. He sees Gilgeous-Alexander as one of his banana boat buddies.</p><p>https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1907848806848200793</p><p>“This is the beginning of a run for him,” Anthony said. “He’s the evolution of a Penny Hardaway, of a Dwyane Wade… And he’s James [Harden] a little bit.”</p><p>Being compared to those three players is an exceptional achievement. After all, Gilgeous-Alexander came second in the 2023-24 MVP race, losing to Nikola Jokic.</p><p>This year, he has been the frontrunner. For starters, the Thunder star is leading the NBA in points per game. He also leads the NBA for a second consecutive season in free throws made per game.</p><p>While the jokes fly in, it cannot discredit how lethal Gilgeous-Alexander has been on the floor. The Thunder have the best record in the Western Conference.</p><p>They secured the No. 1 seed and did so convincingly. The Thunder are one of the most balanced teams in the league. They are Top 5 in points per game, and opponents points per game.</p><p>The same goes for the offensive and defensive ratings. Oklahoma City’s depth is unmatched, yet everyone knows Gilgeous-Alexander is the main cog in the engine.</p><h2><b>Carmelo Anthony sees Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as elite</b></h2><p>Being elite was something that many didn’t think would happen with Gilgeous-Alexander. While he showed major promise at Kentucky, no one thought he would be this good.</p><p>Every season, the Thunder guard has made strides in at least one area of his game. Much of the work behind the scenes is coming to fruition.</p><p>Now, the team has the best record in the Western Conference, and <a href="https://www.espn.com/espn/betting/story/_/id/42358288/espn-2025-nba-futures-odds-betting-championship-finals-conference-playoffs" rel="noopener">an easy favorite</a> to make the NBA Finals. After losing to the Dallas Mavericks in seven games last season, there is even more motivation than before.</p><p>Going back to Anthony’s point though, Gilgeous-Alexander and Wade have similar styles.</p><p>For starters, both love to get inside the paint and draw a barrage of fouls. However, Wade used his athleticism to dunk over defenders and create acrobatic finishes.</p><p>For the Thunder star, he is a bit different. He used angles, put English on the ball, and utilized spacing more than anything to get inside. He doesn’t have to dunk over everyone, even though he’s shown that he can.</p><p>At the end of the day, Anthony sees <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-nearing-historic-michael-jordan-feat">Gilgeous-Alexander as elite</a>. Wade had a Hall of Fame career, and the same can be said for the potential 2024 MVP.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Carmelo Anthony drops Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-Dwyane Wade comparison

<!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-ties-michael-jordan-streak-amid-mvp-race');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ties Michael Jordan streak amid MVP race');   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/2025/03/Thunder-news-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexanders-latest-30-point-game-puts-him-in-Michael-Jordan-company.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ties Michael Jordan streak amid MVP race</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-02T22:35:43-07:00">April 2nd, 10:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-02T22:35:43-07:00">April 2nd, 10:35pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</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-shai-gilgeous-alexander-downplays-significance-setting-franchise-record">Oklahoma City Thunder continue to dominate</a> all of their opponents as they extended their current winning streak to 11 after toppling the Cade Cunningham-less Detroit Pistons, 119-103, on Wednesday night. The Thunder still have a shot at crossing the 70-win mark, and it’s thanks in large part to the continued stellar play of MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who put up 33 points, six rebounds, and three assists in their most recent victory.</p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander also has an opportunity to cross the 70-mark in terms of consecutive 20-point games, as he extended his current streak to 69 such contests — which is good for the <a href="https://x.com/SNstats/status/1907631211091996732" rel="noopener">fourth-best 20-point streak</a> in league history, matching Michael Jordan’s longest such streak, according to Sportsnet on X (formerly Twitter).</p><p>Only two other players have longer 20-point streaks than the one the Thunder star is currently on — Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson. During the 1963-64 season, Robertson scored 20 or more in 76 consecutive games, while Chamberlain, to no one’s surprise, has two separate 80-game 20-point streaks — one during the 1961-62 season and one during the 1963-64 campaign.</p><p>To be in the company of such elite scorers is no mean feat for Gilgeous-Alexander, and his consistency is the number one reason as to how the Thunder have become the dominant team they’ve been over the past two seasons. Even the best go through off nights, but somehow, Gilgeous-Alexander is immune to such games, and OKC has been very difficult to beat because of it.</p><p>It’s not quite clear how many regular-season games Gilgeous-Alexander will be playing from here on out with the Thunder having locked down the one-seed already. Preserving his health will be the team’s number one priority as they look to redeem themselves from their heartbreaking second-round exit last year.</p><h2><b>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to win his first MVP amid dominant Thunder season?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Thunder-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-1.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Nikola Jokic may be averaging a triple-double, but it looks as though the voters will be favoring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the MVP race, and for good reason. There is still merit in rewarding the best player on the league’s best team, especially when the statistical case isn’t exactly as lopsided as some Jokic supporters would suggest.</p><p>It’s not quite fair if Gilgeous-Alexander would be penalized for having better teammates than Jokic, and Gilgeous-Alexander’s consistency and incredible play all throughout the season <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-edges-out-nikola-jokic-in-espn-mvp-straw-poll">makes him a deserving MVP winner,</a> especially when he’s playing for a Thunder team that remains within shouting distance of a 70-win campaign.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ties Michael Jordan streak amid MVP race

<!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-edges-out-nikola-jokic-in-espn-mvp-straw-poll');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander edges out Nikola Jokic in ESPN MVP straw poll');   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/2025/04/Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-edges-out-Nikola-Jokic-in-ESPN-MVP-straw-poll.jpg"></figure><h1>Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander edges out Nikola Jokic in ESPN MVP straw poll</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-02T18:48:53-07:00">April 2nd, 6:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-02T18:48:53-07:00">April 2nd, 6:48pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The MVP discussion is only going to get more heated the closer we get to the actual awarding of the trophy. At this point, there are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-no-question-mvp-endorsement-from-tyrese-haliburton">only two likely winners of the award</a> for the 2024-25 season: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic, with the latter being the reigning MVP. And it looks as though there will be a first-time winner of the award, if the latest ESPN straw poll is any indication.</p><p>Among 100 media members polled by ESPN, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/44492655/nba-mvp-straw-poll-100-insiders-rank-sga-jokic-lebron-more" rel="noopener">77 of them</a> gave their first-place MVP vote to the Thunder star, with the remaining 23 rewarding Jokic with his fourth MVP award. There is established precedent that whoever wins in ESPN’s straw poll ends up being the actual winner of the award come season’s end, which bodes well for Gilgeous-Alexander’s chances of bagging home the NBA’s most prestigious individual award.</p><p>With the Thunder dominating any and every team that comes their way en route to having the best record in the NBA (at present), <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-jalen-williams-why-bias-shouldnt-matter-shai-gilgeous-alexander-mvp-pick">Gilgeous-Alexander has such a strong case to win his first MVP award.</a> He’s entering their Wednesday night clash against the Detroit Pistons averaging a league-leading 32.8 points per game, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists on 52/38/90 shooting splits. He’s also a defensive disruptor, averaging 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per contest.</p><p>Meanwhile, Jokic’s case hinges more on his individual dominance and how the Nuggets still collapse whenever he’s not on the floor (<a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612743&amp;Season=2024-25&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=203999" rel="noopener">he has a net rating of nearly +16</a>). He recently <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-defends-russell-westbrook-late-mistakes-cost-denver-vs-timberwolves">dropped a 61-point triple-double</a> and yet Denver still lost. It might be difficult to argue against Jokic’s bonkers averages of 29.7 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game, but the Thunder are 16.5 games better than the Nuggets and team success still has to be rewarded at the end of the day — especially when the disparity between the two players isn’t that huge anyway.</p><h2><b>Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander likely to win his first MVP award</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/THUNDER-ALL-STAR-SHAI-GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER_9d4d3d.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>When the Thunder acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander via the Paul George trade in 2019, little did everyone know that he would blossom into one of the best players in the association and a future MVP. But Gilgeous-Alexander has done nothing but get better since coming into the league, and his efforts in working on himself look like they’re going to be vindicated in a huge way.</p><p>The key now, of course, is for Gilgeous-Alexander to sustain this level of play in the playoffs as he looks to lead a stacked Thunder team all the way to the promised land.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander edges out Nikola Jokic in ESPN MVP straw poll

<!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-jalen-williams-why-bias-shouldnt-matter-shai-gilgeous-alexander-mvp-pick');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jalen Williams on why bias shouldn’t matter with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander MVP pick');   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/2025/04/Jalen-Williams-explains-why-his-bias-shouldnt-matter-with-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-MVP-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>Jalen Williams on why bias shouldn’t matter with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander MVP pick</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-02T12:24:01-07:00">April 2nd, 12:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-02T12:24:01-07:00">April 2nd, 12:24pm</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 All-Star Jalen Williams chimed in on his fellow <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-mvp-mondays-24-25-shai-gilgeous-alexander-unanimous">All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP race</a>. Before Indiana Pacers guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-no-question-mvp-endorsement-from-tyrese-haliburton">Tyrese Haliburton named Gilgeous-Alexander his MVP</a>, Williams let it be known that, beyond the bias of being on the same team as Shai, SGA should be named this year’s Most Valuable Player.</p><p>Williams <a href="https://www.basketballinsiders.org/news/jalen-williams-exclusive-shai-gilgeous-alexander-mvp/" rel="noopener">endorsed</a> Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP, per Basketball Insiders’ D.J. Siggiq.</p><p>“I think he’s the MVP,” Williams said. “Obviously, I’m his teammate, so I’m very inclined to say that. From what I see, the amount of Michael Jordan comparisons and the accolades and all that, I think it would be a very big disservice to him if he’s not the MVP, just based on what he’s been able to accomplish this year.”</p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander is on pace to become the first NBA player since Michael Jordan to average 30-plus points on at least 50% shooting, 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists, and one block. Jordan reached that feat in both seasons and secured an MVP award.</p><p>“You look at him last year and everybody kind of had the question, what else could he possibly do to improve?” says Williams. “Obviously, he comes into this year twice as good as he was last year. I think that’s testament to how hard he works and how much better he’s able to get, just through his years to look at his progression as a player, which is something I think every athlete, basketball or not, you always wanna get better every year.</p><p>“The fact that he’s able to do that at an MVP-caliber [player] every year is very impressive,” Williams concluded.</p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.8 points on 52.2% shooting, 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game this season.</p><h2><b>Tyrese Haliburton endorses Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Thunder-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-and-Jalen-Williams.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams isn’t the only player who believes his teammate is the MVP. After Saturday’s 132-111 loss to the Thunder, Pacers’ <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-no-question-mvp-endorsement-from-tyrese-haliburton">Tyrese Haliburton labeled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander MVP</a>. While reminding reporters he doesn’t have a vote, he <a href="https://twitter.com/JoelXLorenzi/status/1906193790836367511" rel="noopener">believes</a> NBA players would agree with his MVP take, per The Oklahoman’s Joel Lorenzi.</p><p>“I grew up in an era where the best player on the best team wins MVP every time. I think our era is kind of getting away from that a little bit, which is fine, because I think Jokic and those guys are warranted when they win,” said Haliburton. “But I think you take away them having the best record, he would still be the MVP, and then you throw on the fact that he has the best record, he kind of makes it an easy decision.”</p><p>The Thunder will host the Pistons on Wednesday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
32.4	5.2	6.2	1.1	1.9

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
32.4	5.2	6.2	1.1	1.9

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

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