Reacting to Bam Adebayo’s historic 83-point NBA performance
USAT’s Prince Grimes responded to Bam Adebayo’s NBA record-breaking win with a dominant 83-point performance that stunned the Wizards.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is alone.
The current NBA Most Valuable Player scored at least 20 points in consecutive games, surpassing Hall of Fame icon Wilt Chamberlain with 127 points. Gilgeous-Alexander made his mark with a jumper from near the top of the key midway through the third quarter of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s game against the Boston Celtics on Thursday, March 12.
Playing in front of his home crowd, the fans in attendance were hoping for a record as Gilgeous-Alexander caught the ball and erupted in cheers as he swung it around.
Gilgeous-Alexander was a little slow to start the first quarter, but he finished the period with 10 points after attacking the rim and getting to the line. He made 2 of 3 field goals and 5 of his first six free throws in the period. Oklahoma City added seven points in the second period as it tried to cut Boston’s lead before the end of the first half.
Four-time All-Star Gilgeous-Alexander, 27, entered the night as the NBA’s second-leading scorer behind Lakers guard Luka Doncic with 31.7 points per game.
Gilgeous-Alexander, one of the most consistent players in the NBA, lined up with Chamberlain on March 9 when the Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets. In that game, he had 35 points, 15 assists, and nine rebounds, making the eventual game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds.
This record demonstrates both Gilgeous-Alexander’s availability and steady production. The last time he failed to score more than 20 points in a game was early last season, when he scored 18 points in a win over the Spurs on October 30, 2024.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Chamberlain are the only two players in NBA history to score 20 points in at least 100 consecutive games. The following players are on the list: Chamberlain (92), Oscar Robertson (79), Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant (72), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (71).
But Chamberlain was pouring in points during his winning streak. In those 126 games, he averaged 49.2 points per game. The streak began on October 19, 1961 and ended on January 19, 1963, when Chamberlain was ejected just four minutes into the game.
Another area where Gilgeous-Alexander outperformed Chamberlain during their respective winning streaks was in the win-loss column. Entering Thursday night’s game against Boston, the Thunder were 120-24 in games in which Gilgeous-Alexander reached at least 20 points. Chamberlain’s Warriors lost just 66 wins and 60 losses during the winning streak.
