Inside the numbers: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ties Wilt Chamberlain's 20-point streak record

Wilt Chamberlain has some NBA records that might never get touched, like the 100-point game, 4,000 points in a season and a 50-point-per-game scoring average.

And that means that when he does get caught — in any category — it's a big deal.

Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has now done just that, matching Chamberlain's NBA record of 126 consecutive regular-season games of 20 or more points. Gilgeous-Alexander got there Monday night, scoring 35 points (with a career-high 15 assists, too) in the Thunder's 129-126 win over the Denver Nuggets.

“It's crazy to think that where I was 10 years ago, I'd be here today," Gilgeous-Alexander said.

It's the latest accolade on a long list for Gilgeous-Alexander, who was MVP, NBA Finals MVP, the league's scoring champion and led the Thunder to the league title last season. He's also generally considered as a favorite in the MVP race this season.

He said he doesn't try to fixate much on the scoring streak.

“It's still a lot to even wrap my head around,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “To be honest with you, I try to not even think about it — especially during the season. So much is going on, so many things have to go right for you to get what you ultimately want, and that gets 100% of my focus, especially basketball-wise.”

Gilgeous-Alexander gets his chance at pushing the streak to 127 games on Thursday, when the Thunder meet the Boston Celtics.

Inside the numbers

A look at some of the numbers when the two streaks are compared:

— The Thunder record during Gilgeous-Alexander's streak: 102-24.

— The Warriors' record during Chamberlain's streak: 66-60.

— Chamberlain's highest-scoring game during his streak was the NBA-record 100-point outburst for the then-Philadelphia Warriors against New York on March 2, 1962.

— Gilgeous-Alexander's highest-scoring game during the streak is 55 points, against Indiana on Oct. 23. (Chamberlain had 42 games of 55 points or more during his run.)

— Gilgeous-Alexander has two games with exactly 20 points during his streak.

— Chamberlain's low game during the streak was 23 points, an overtime loss to Boston. All 23 of those points came in regulation.

— Gilgeous-Alexander's average during his streak: 32.5 points per game.

— Chamberlain's average during his streak: 49.2 points per game.

— Gilgeous-Alexander's shooting percentage during his streak: .535.

— Chamberlain's shooting percentage during his streak: .511.

How Wilt's ended

The 126th and final game of Chamberlain's streak was Jan. 19, 1963, in St. Louis. He played all 48 minutes and finished with 35 points and 21 rebounds in a 116-114 loss against the Hawks.

The teams played again the next night. Chamberlain didn't stick around long.

Referee Red Oates issued two technical fouls and tossed Chamberlain from the game after about four minutes, citing “abusive language” used by the superstar while he protested a foul call against teammate Wayne Hightower.

Chamberlain finished with six points. His scoring average dropped from 47.0 per game to 46.2 in one evening.

He also faced a mandatory ejection fine from the NBA. By league rule, it had to be at least $50.

What was next for Wilt

Chamberlain simply restarted his 20-point streak in San Francisco's next game, that being Jan. 22, 1963, against Detroit.

He didn't get thrown out. In today's NBA, he would have.

Chamberlain threw several punches during a fourth-quarter melee that even saw some fans get onto the floor at the Cow Palace. No fouls — personal or technical — were called as a result of the fight.

Chamberlain had 39 points that night and went on to score at least 20 points in his next 20 games, so it's reasonable to think he would have pushed the streak — had he not been ejected in St. Louis — to 147 games.

Chamberlain's next sub-20-point game was Feb. 24, 1963, coincidentally back in St. Louis, and on a night where he strangely passed up some open shots — “at times refusing to shoot even though he was in the clear,” The Associated Press reported that night.

Chamberlain finished with 13 points in a 127-106 loss to the Hawks.

Other 20-point streaks

Chamberlain had five other streaks where he scored 20 or more points in at least 30 games. He had streaks of 92, 62, 56, 47 and 30 games.

Chamberlain’s 92-game streak of 20-point games is the third-longest in NBA history. Oscar Robertson had a 79-game streak, while Kevin Durant and Michael Jordan each had 72-game runs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had a 70-game streak, then added a 71-game streak not long afterward.

Jordan had seven instances of scoring 20 points or more in at least 30 consecutive games. Chamberlain had six, Robertson five, while Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor and LeBron James each had four.

Regular season only

If taking both regular season and playoff games into account, Chamberlain still stands alone in longest 20-point streaks.

The Jan. 20, 1963, game snapped a 141-game streak of 20-point outings — including playoffs. Chamberlain also had a run of 104 consecutive games that included postseason contests.

Robertson and Baylor both did it in 89 straight games when adding in the postseason, tying for the third-longest such streaks.

Gilgeous-Alexander had three games where he failed to score 20 points during last season’s Oklahoma City playoff run to the NBA title. When adding in playoff contests, his current streak is “only” 63 games — the second-longest of his career, after a 72-game run that was snapped during the 2025 postseason.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA