Shai Gilgeous-Alexander torches Houston Rockets again: Oklahoma City Thunder wins with ease

These 2 teams faced off on Sunday and tonight was a rematch, but the outcome remained the same as the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the Houston Rockets 112-95 at Paycom Center behind another Shai Gilgeous-Alexander MVP performance.

SGA scored over 30 points for the 6th straight game and he is leading this young OKC squad to a top seed in the Western Conference. His play has led him to be in the MVP conversation alongside Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic, and with the way Shai has carried the Thunder this season it will be hard for him not to win that award.

In tonight’s game, the 2-time All-Star finished with 31 points and 8 rebounds with 4 three pointers made. Jalen Williams scored 24 points on 65% shooting while Chet Holmgren recorded 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Josh Giddey had 14 points and 7 assists.

For Houston, Alperen Sengun led the way with 23 points and 11 rebounds on 8/13 shooting. Jabari Smith Jr. had another good game, finishing with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Jalen Green had 16 points but only shot 35% while Fred VanVleet struggled, scoring just 5 points on 2/11 shooting.

This win improves the Thunder to 41-17 on the season, making them tied with the Timberwolves for the top seed in the West. Minnesota has the tiebreaker so they currently sit at 1. This win is huge for OKC as they are fighting for the top spot in the playoffs. They are 8-2 over their last 10 games and currently on a 6-game winning streak. Their next game will be on Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs where they’ll look to build on this momentum.

Meanwhile, this loss drops the Rockets to 25-33, making them 12th in the Western Conference and 5.5 games out of the play-in tournament. After starting the season hot, Houston has cooled down and seen themselves fall back in the standings. With such a young core, their goals will be to develop their players and add more talent in the off-season. They are 2-8 over their last 10 games and will look to bounce back on Thursday against the Phoenix Suns.