Inside The Thunder

Despite Making History, Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder Focused on Bigger Picture

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander does not care about Oklahoma City's record-setting point differential or number of double-digit wins — he only wants to help secure the franchise's first championship.

Ethan Baca

Nov 13, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and head coach Mark Daigneault talk during a timeout against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Nov 13, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and head coach Mark Daigneault talk during a timeout against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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Five days ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder blew out the Sacramento Kings by 16 points to reach 60 wins for the first time since the 2012-13 season. On Thursday night, it beat the Memphis Grizzlies by 21 points and set a franchise record in single-season wins. The Thunder then took down the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night to tie the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors with 48 double-digit wins, the second-most in league history. In other words, new milestones have come frequently for the 62-12 Thunder.

Oklahoma City is on pace to achieve the highest average point differential (+13.2) ever, passing the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers — which also had a record 50 double-digit victories. It needs +0.3 more net rating points to surpass the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, as that team played fewer possessions per game.

To put things into perspective, the Thunder has spent more time leading by 15 or more points than it has trailing by any amount.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been in the middle of all that success throughout the season. Oklahoma City has won 60 of his team-leading 71 games, in which he has averaged 32.9 points on 63.9% true shooting, 6.3 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks. However, the three-time All-Star remains focused on his, and the team's, championship aspirations.

"We don't care not one bit about any of those records," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "They mean something, but in the grand scheme of things, don't. We're after one thing and one thing only. ... As long as we're taking steps in that direction, that's all we care about — and everything else just comes with it."

Gilgeous-Alexander referenced a 2022 preseason team meeting, where general manager Sam Presti told Thunder players they would win if they prioritized winning despite incoming rookie Chet Holmgren suffering a season-ending foot injury. He said the team "received that message loud and clear," as evidenced by making significant improvement in every season since then.

"The tone that (the Thunder) set with what they prioritize as an organization, as a front office, as the coaches, just trickles down to us," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "That's all we see. They don't care about anything else besides our performance. Everything else comes second to winning games. Them having that mentality gives us no choice."

Oklahoma City ran small-ball lineups throughout the second half against Indiana due to rotation bigs Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams being unavailable with minor injuries. Coach Mark Daigneault said the team improved by executing those small minutes well on both ends after intentionally not utilizing it for a long time.

"There's nothing about this team that's challenging to coach," Daigneault said. "They're just internally motivated, internally competitive. They hold one another accountable to their standards of togetherness and competitiveness. When the scoreboard's on, they're ready to roll."

The Thunder battles the Chicago Bulls tomorrow at 7 p.m. CST. Josh Giddey will play his first game in Oklahoma City since being swapped for Alex Caruso last summer.

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Ethan Baca
ETHAN BACA

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