OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is proving to be much more than one of the NBA’s top scorers.
Sure, he scored 31 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder roll past the Charlotte Hornets 126-106 on Friday night. But the league’s No. 3 scorer also had nine assists, five steals and three blocks.
Gilgeous-Alexander leads the league in steals with 2.3 steals per game. Lu Dort, Oklahoma City’s defensive stopper, is impressed with his teammate’s play on that end.
“He’s really vocal on the defensive side, just calling the coverages and all that, too,” Dort said. “Just him being aggressive, it just feeds off on the other guys on the team. One, just our best player doing that, and also, it is great that he’s so good at this and he does it a lot so we can go run in transition.”
Gilgeous-Alexander did his usual thing on offense as an efficient shooter. He made 11 of 15 field goals and scored at least 30 points for the ninth straight game.
He prioritized setting others up early with four assists before he scored a basket.
“On the offensive end, I thought tonight he was really on one early,” Daigneault said. “He had as good of a blend of his play and plays for other guys as he’s (had) all season. He had an unbelievable balance there in the first half of the game.”
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) grabs the ball next to Charlotte Hornets forward Cody Martin, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, in Oklahoma City. Credit: AP/Nate Billings
Chet Holmgren added 16 points for the Thunder, who have won two straight and seven of nine. Oklahoma City moved into a tie for first place in the Western Conference with Minnesota at 34-15.
Oklahoma City’s offensive output came despite missing forward Jalen Williams, out with a sprained right ankle, and guard Isaiah Joe, sidelined with a bruised sternum. Williams is the team’s No. 2 scorer and Joe leads the Thunder in 3-point baskets.
Rookie Brandon Miller scored…
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