Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s historic run of 20-point games came to an end when the Oklahoma City Thunder star finished with 17 points in a 96-84 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, ending a record-breaking streak at 141 consecutive regular-season games, according to sport.sky.it and USA Today reporting.
First-Half Struggles Set the Stage for the Record’s End
The two-time MVP faced an uphill battle from the opening tipoff. Gilgeous-Alexander managed just two points in the first half, shooting 0-for-7 from the field with both points coming from the free-throw line, sport.sky.it reported. USA Today noted that it marked only the fourth time in 450 career games that the Thunder star failed to make a field goal in the first half. Though he regrouped after halftime to score 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting—including three 3-pointers—the early deficit proved too steep to clear the 20-point threshold for the 142nd straight time.
Bench Decision Stops the Pursuit in the Final Minutes
Rather than chasing the three points he needed in the closing seconds, Gilgeous-Alexander opted to sub out of the game. USA Today reported that after hitting a 3-pointer with 1:43 remaining and forcing a Denver timeout, the guard noticed the Nuggets had removed all of their starters and asked head coach Mark Daigneault to take him off the floor. “I was gonna go out there, and then I saw that (they) had subbed, so I thought we should sub, too. You always treat the game with respect,” Gilgeous-Alexander said postgame, according to USA Today. Daigneault supported the decision, telling reporters, per USA Today, “I just think of the class that it shows and the perspective that it shows for him to say, ‘Hey, I’m out now. The game’s calling for me to be subbed out.'”
Wilt Chamberlain’s Standard and Two Years of Consistency
The streak began nearly two years prior on Oct. 30, 2024, when Gilgeous-Alexander scored 18 points in a 105-93 win against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, as detailed by USA Today. Over the next 720 days, his regular-season scoring floor remained firmly at 20 points, allowing him to eclipse Wilt Chamberlain’s long-standing mark of 126 consecutive games set between 1962 and 1963, sport.sky.it reported. While basketball analysts debate whether the record will last for decades, Gilgeous-Alexander opened the 2026-27 campaign with a 32-point night against the Spurs before the Denver defense finally brought the historic run to a halt.
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