Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was not especially brilliant by his standards on Sunday. He was just his normal, run-of-the-mill brilliant self.
He finished with 40 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in the win over Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets to secure the Thunder’s 52nd win of the season by March 9th.
He was less efficient than normal, shooting 47 percent from the field and just 2-of-11 from 3.
But what gets lost in those numbers is how prototypical of his MVP-caliber season this game was. No one could stop SGA from getting to his spot. No player on Denver could limit his drives. He got to whatever shot he wanted. He made some, he missed some, and he still scored 40 points.
He was the best player on the floor in a game with the nearly-universally-acknowledged Best Player In The World, Nikola Jokic, sharing the court.
But what makes SGA the very likely Most Valuable Player Award winner is that this performance wasn’t exceptional. This is just who SGA is now. He’s unguardable and unstoppable and incredibly consistent in being the best scorer in the league while being incredibly efficient.
And he’s more than deserving.
But what’s interesting is that for many, Sunday’s game will be the deciding factor in a fairly close but not razor-thin MVP race between SGA and Jokic.
I’ve always been baffled by this phenomenon. It’s not the head-to-head matchup because the games between Jokic and SGA in October and November are never discussed, nor will they be. It’s only the late-season matchup between the two top players in the race if they happen to play.
If they do play, though, then whoever wins those games gets a huge advantage. For many, the MVP race ended on Sunday with SGA’s performance in a blowout win over Denver.
But why?
The MVP Award can be whatever you want it to be. “Story of the season.” “Best player on the best team.” “Statistically best player.” Whatever you want it to be. But it is based on the games this season, or at least about the basketball zeitgeist at this moment in time.
Regular-season games in the NBA are messy. They’re decided by injury, fatigue, travel, and who is mentally in the best space during the rigor of the 82-game season. The Thunder haven’t played many games with both Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren.
The Nuggets just got Aaron Gordon back from injury, and he left in the first half. The matchups are different from game to game.
Even if you think that Sunday’s game was a good representation of the difference between the two teams, which hypothetically every NBA game should be, and which it was, it didn’t really teach us anything. The Thunder are way better than the Nuggets. We knew that going in.
If you believe that’s because of Shai Gilgeous Alexander’s play relative to Nikola Jokic’s play, a totally defensible position, you didn’t need this matchup between the two teams to prove that.
The attempt here is not to say “the MVP race is not over.” It can be, it can not be, that’s beside the point. But if you were ready to say “the MVP race is over,” then Sunday’s result shouldn’t sway you. If you were undecided on Saturday, you should be undecided on Monday.
Shai is the best scorer in the league on a team that’s on pace to win 68 games with the best point differential ever. He’s the best driving offensive player and an absolute monster. His team has won by more with him on the floor than any other candidate’s team has won with their candidate on the floor.
You didn’t need his performance Sunday to know that just because it was against Denver, just like if he’d lost and struggled, it wouldn’t change what he’s accomplished.
Head-to-head matchups should never matter for the MVP. It’s a resume award, and one random Tuesday, or Sunday in this case, at work doesn’t define anyone’s career.
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NBA news roundup
- Naji Marshall was your second-highest scorer Sunday because, well, someone had to shoot for Dallas, who lost Dwight Powell and Kessler Edwards in a collision on-court Sunday and were down to just seven players. We are running out of ways for it to get worse in Dallas.
- LeBron James is going to miss some time with a reaggravation of his groin injury, leaving the Lakers in the very capable hands of Luka Doncic, who is also banged up. The Lakers might get Jaxson Hayes back Monday vs. the Nets, but it’s going to be a much harder climb to maintain their top-two seeding without James for the next little bit.
- Kawhi Leonard made a game-winning floater to secure a much-needed win over the Kings for the Clippers and clinch the season series vs. Sacramento. Leonard only had 17 points on 19 shots but made the one that mattered most, as DeMar DeRozan had 31 in the loss.
Relevant magic numbers for the NBA Playoff race:
- The Thunder’s magic number for a playoff spot (Top 6) is one.
- Their magic number for the 1-seed in the West is down to seven. If they win Monday vs. the Nuggets, it will be down to five after securing the tiebreaker.
- The Cavaliers’ magic number for no-worse-than-third is down to one after their win over the Bucks. (They own tiebreaker.)
- The Suns are suddenly just one game back in the loss column from the tenth seed and the spiraling Mavericks, whose season is effectively over.
- The Pacers are now tied with the Bucks in the loss column. That should be a tough race for the 4-seed and homecourt advantage down the stretch.