Player grades: SGA snatches Wilt's record in Thunder's 104-102 win over Celtics

· Yahoo Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY — Establishing his pivot foot, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contemplated his options. Baylor Scheierman had the unfortunate fate of matching up with the reigning MVP. Once he decided he was going to pull up from the mid-range, the OKC crowd held its breath.

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Finally. NBA history as the ball swished through. Gilgeous-Alexander now owns the NBA record for longest 20-point streak at 127 consecutive games. The Oklahoma City Thunder accompanied the historic feat with a 104-102 win over the Boston Celtics.

Talk about Disney movie stuff. It's been quite a couple of games for Gilgeous-Alexander. He hit a game-winner on one night and then took over the fourth quarter in another one. At this point, even his biggest haters have to tip their cap at what they're seeing unfold.

To set the scene, the Thunder were in a rock fight with the Celtics from the jump — even without Jayson Tatum and Derrick White. Gilgeous-Alexander threw some early punches at Jaylen Brown in their heavyweight bout that was pushed as a battle for the MVP award.

The Thunder were in a 28-27 deficit after the first quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander was already halfway to his goal with 10 points. Some second-unit lineup struggles and slippery ball security helped the Celtics overcome a talent difference by playing their style of blue-collar defense.

As Payton Pritchard knocked down a buzzer-beating outside jumper, the Thunder ended a poor first half that saw everybody sans-Gilgeous-Alexander look out of sorts. They had 29 points in the second frame. That put them in a 59-56 deficit at halftime.

But the game itself became secondary. Instead, most folks watched the box score. Gilgeous-Alexander was at 17 points at the break. He needed three more to usurp NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain. The tension can be tasted in the air. The OKC crowd was ready for him to grab the record so they could refocus on the actual game.

It finally happened. Gilgeous-Alexander won the record with a signature mid-range jumper — the shot that has turned him from a decent prospect to an MVP winner. Now that the moment was behind them, the Thunder could return to beating a Celtics squad that had caught fire.

Both teams scored 24 points in the third quarter. The Thunder were in an 83-80 hole. After playing from behind for what felt like eternity, OKC finally got ahead. Alex Caruso stole the ball away from Pritchard before he found Jared McCain for the outside jumper. Like that, they had an 85-83 lead in the early stages of a nail-biter.

From that point on, both teams stayed within a possession of each other. Two of the league's best defenses flexed their muscles. If you wanted to score a bucket, you had to really earn it. Ajay Mitchell made a big-time corner 3-pointer. Gilgeous-Alexander hit a stepback mid-range jumper on Hugo Gonzalez.

The Thunder had a 98-94 lead with a little over three minutes to go. Finally, some breathing room. While having just a four-point lead, it felt twice as large. It didn't take long for the Celtics to tie it up at 98 points apiece. Pritchard conducted a series of dribble moves ala Kyrie before he finally made a long jumper that rattled in.

Tied at 98 points with less than two minutes to go, Gilgeous-Alexander and Brown exchanged highlight-worthy buckets. First up was the reigning MVP. Switching off Brown, he found a soft spot in Boston's defense as he pulled up at the key for the short-range jumper.

Brown immediately answered. He drew a shooting foul and made both free-throw attempts. Knotted up at 100 points apiece, the final 50 seconds saw Gilgeous-Alexander and Brown go band-for-band as they tried to one-up the other in the clutch-time situation.

Getting Scheierman on an island, Gilgeous-Alexander drove to the basket before he jammed the brakes. He hit on another pull-up jumper. 102-100 with 30 seconds to go. The Thunder needed one stop. Instead, Brown returned the favor on the other end. Stopped at the nail, he circled before he swished in an extremely difficult turnaround jumper.

Can't say much about that. That's just an MVP-esque bucket by Brown. Tied at 102 points apiece, the Thunder had the chance to hit the walk-off with 22 seconds left. Gilgeous-Alexander opted to trust his teammates. The ball eventually landed in Caruso's hands.

With a chance to hit a game-winner, Caruso missed on his corner 3-pointer. Emerging as the late-game hero, Chet Holmgren's one-handed rebound forced Boston to foul him on the second-chance look. No way. Brutal fashion to lose a game you were painfully close to stealing.

With 0.8 seconds left, Holmgren made both free throws. On the other end, Pritchard's Hail Mary outside attempt was lined up well, but petered out at the end. Phew. What a way to end a historic day. The Thunder scored 24 points in the final frame to squeeze by for the win over the Celtics.

The Thunder shot 48% from the field and went 11-of-44 (25%) from 3. They shot 13-of-17 on free throws. They had 22 assists on 40 baskets. Three Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 35 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Holmgren had 14 points and nine rebounds. Mitchell finished with 15 points and six assists.

Meanwhile, the Celtics shot 40% from the field and went 13-of-42 (31%) from 3. They shot 19-of-20 on free throws. They had 20 assists on 35 baskets. Four Celtics players scored double-digit points.

Brown stepped up to the challenge with 34 points and seven assists. Pritchard finished with 14 points and four assists. Scheierman and Gonzalaz each scored 11 points apiece.

NBA history continues to happen in OKC. Unreal to type that out. Gilgeous-Alexander continues to cement himself as an all-time great. Usurping Chamberlain is just the latest of an ever-growing list of accomplishments. The game itself was pretty ugly, but that's besides the point. At this juncture of the season, it's all about getting wins if you're the Thunder.

Littered with Chamberlain signs across the OKC crowd, Gilgeous-Alexander's 20-point streak was the main event. As he got closer, the excitement reached a fever pitch. Give credit to the Thunder for cutting through the noise to get an impressive win over the Celtics. That could be an NBA Finals preview.

Let's look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus

Pictured next to Chamberlain on the jumbotron, Gilgeous-Alexander had the chance to live in the moment. The OKC PA announcer acknowledged his 20-point streak officially being at the top after a year-plus-long journey to get there. Goosebumps filled Paycom Center.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points on 13-of-18 shooting, nine assists and six rebounds. He shot 2-of-5 from 3 and went 7-of-8 on free throws. He also had three blocks and two steals.

On the cusp of more NBA history, Gilgeous-Alexander was on a mission. Don't think a single reasonable person thought he wouldn't get to 20 points. The real question was how he'd reach the mark. The Celtics threw multiple defenders his way. But it just didn't matter.

Adding to his MVP case, Gilgeous-Alexander was brilliant on national TV. He wouldn't get by Chamberlain on a whimper. Instead, he had one of his best games this season. The jumper was on point from the start. He didn't require much space to go with a daring pull-up jumper that has been automatic for years.

Driving to the basket has been second-nature to Gilgeous-Alexander for years. You saw that happen once again as Boston's interior defense couldn't scare him off. He had 17 points by halftime. That meant the only drama left was the style he'd go with to get the memorable bucket to pen his name in the NBA record books for something that hasn't been surpassed in 63 years.

Of course, Gilgeous-Alexander went with the pull-up jumper. Quite the poetic choice. After all, he's one of the greatest mid-range maestros in league history. That area of the floor is how he's turned into an all-time legend. Similar to some of his idols.

Now that the in-game ceremony came and went, Gilgeous-Alexander had a game to focus on. Finally, the Thunder's matchup against the Celtics took center stage after being in the background. Not wanting to break the record on a sour note, the reigning MVP took over in the fourth quarter.

Gilgeous-Alexander had 14 points in the final frame — almost equalling Boston's 19 points. When the Thunder needed a bucket, he provided. Inside the key became his best friend as he populated the area with several big-time buckets to keep things close.

While they weren't traditional game-winners, Gilgeous-Alexander hit two ginormous pull-up jumpers in the final 64 seconds to put OKC ahead by two points. In a two-point win, those two shots were arguably as vital as Holmgren's drawn foul in the final second.

It's been a wild two-game journey for Gilgeous-Alexander. He's well on his way to be remembered as one of the faces of the NBA's current era — if he isn't there already. The longest 20-point streak in NBA history is the latest feather in his cap to demonstrate his best superpowers.

I received some flak for calling Gilgeous-Alexander a walking 60-win machine. But you see why that isn't so ludicrous to suggest. He's a walking 30-point machine as soon as he rolls out of bed. No matter who else is beside him on the court, he delivers the Thunder a win more times than not.

Chet Holmgren: B-minus

Fighting positioning with Sam Hauser, Holmgren grabbed the offensive rebound and desperately went up for a putback. Instead, the Celtics mauled him down low. The referees blew the whistle as a game-sealing foul was called in the final second.

Holmgren finished with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting and nine rebounds. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws.

When you score the game-winner, all is forgiven — even if it happened at the free-throw line. Considering last year's NBA playoffs, you can't take for granted Holmgren's ability to knock down a pair of free-throw attempts that likely had his heartbeat racing from the pressure.

Holmgren calmly swished in both looks. Those turned out to be the game-winning points. What a way to make up for an otherwise forgettable night by the Thunder supporting cast. As the sports saying goes — it's not about how you start, but how you finish.

As the Celtics sold out to stop Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren benefited from the attention. He had plenty of easy dunks around the rim as Boston defenders were late to rotate. He scored 10 points in the first half as the Thunder looked sluggish against the short-handed squad.

It was good to see someone else from OKC have a moment on Gilgeous-Alexander's historic night. Holmgren turned out to be the unlikely hero at the free-throw line. That's all you really needed from someone else as the reigning MVP was in the zone the entire night.

Ajay Mitchell: B

Dribbling between his legs, Mitchell stared down Scheierman. The drive-heavy scorer went straight at the basket. As Neemias Queta provided some late help, the 23-year-old went up-and-under to avoid the seven-footer for the fancy and-one layup.

Mitchell finished with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, six assists and four rebounds. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 2-of-3 on free throws.

Considering this was a throwback game, Mitchell being OKC's third double-digit scorer was enough help to get the win. He battered his way to the paint through contact. The physical playstyle has cost him time, but it is also the reason why he's broken out to be a key piece in their rotation. Can't ask him to turn it off.

Mostly driving to the basket, Mitchell also showed off his pull-up jumper. His sole outside jumper was a big one as the Thunder created some much-needed space on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter. He also helped run the bench offense as his playmaking has been sorely missed over the last two months.

It hasn't taken Mitchell long to make up for lost time. The Thunder handed him the rare start to blitz the Celtics' defenders with multiple ball-handlers. The move paid off as he helped the ball keep moving whenever Gilgeous-Alexander faced several defenders.

We'll see how Mitchell feels after this. Looked like he might've gotten hurt playing defense. He stayed in the game but hobbled. You might roll your eyes at him already getting injured this soon, but it just comes with the territory with his brand of basketball. You deal with the headaches for this type of production.

Jaylin Williams: C-plus

Faking the handoff, Williams caught Queta daydreaming. Amid the best stretch of his career, the 23-year-old nonchalantly knocked down the outside jumper. That's new. It's been an unreal last few weeks to see him evolve into Kevin Love like a Pokemon.

Williams finished with nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from 3, two rebounds and one assist.

You can tell Williams is feeling himself. He's had a quick trigger in recent games with his outside shot. To the point that he's taking heatchecks. If you're the Thunder, you love to see it. They've managed without Isaiah Hartenstein because of his unreal play on both sides of the floor.

The playmaking always remains a luxury. Williams went with a daring pass to Aaron Wiggins for his sole assist. He kept the ball moving with good energy. The Thunder have fully leaned on his hot streak. The secondary offense is being run through him. And the results scream for more on his plate.

Awesome to see Williams continue to play great basketball. Like I've said ad nauseam, he's one of their best developmental stories. It's unreal to see him round out his game over the years. To the point that he's now one of the best backup centers in the league without a doubt. Wasn't that long ago that all he was known for was drawing charges.

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This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: SGA snatches Wilt's record in Thunder's 104-102 win over Celtics

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