Shai Gilgeous-Alexander breaks 63-year-old Wilt Chamberlain record

The Boston Celtics likely faced the toughest two-game stretch of their entire season. First San Antonio and then Oklahoma City – the top two teams in the Western Conference. The shamrock franchise came out of that back-to-back with two losses, but it fought both games until the final moments and proved to itself that its level of play could be enough not only to win the East, but also to go head-to-head for the championship against whoever emerges from the other side of the league.

Boston lost 104-102 without Jayson Tatum, who rested for the first time since returning to the floor, despite the Celtics having been the better team during the second and third quarters. But in the fourth quarter, as so often happens, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took over. The MVP favorite, who seems to have ice in his veins the closer games get to the finish, scored 14 of his 35 points in the final 12 minutes, when the contest was decided. Even then, it took until the final possession to know which way it would fall.

Payton Pritchard had the potential game-winning three-pointer on a play in which Boston had only 0.8 seconds left. The shot never touched the rim. Before that, Chet Holmgren had broken the tie with two free throws after grabbing an offensive rebound off a missed Alex Caruso three. Earlier, Gilgeous-Alexander and Jaylen Brown – who finished with 34 points for Boston – had traded baskets during the final minute. Hugo González stepped into a larger role with Tatum out, playing 28 minutes and defending the MVP candidate on many possessions, keeping him in check for stretches of the game. He also added 11 points, five rebounds and two steals.

But fully stopping a player like Gilgeous-Alexander is almost impossible. Before his decisive stretch in the closing minutes, he had already made headlines in the third quarter when he scored his 21st point of the night. That basket allowed him to surpass a record that had stood for 63 years, dating back to 1963 when Wilt Chamberlain put together 126 consecutive games with at least 20 points. “All the records and accomplishments are great, but they don’t matter if you don’t win, and that was the only thing I was thinking about,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Up until that moment (when I reached 20 points) I was having a terrible, terrible game.” With Thursday’s performance, he now sits at 127 straight games with at least 20 points – a staggering achievement for the best player in the NBA right now.

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