Fans aren’t buying what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is selling. After grinding through one of his worst shooting nights in recent memory against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Oklahoma City Thunder star suddenly caught fire in the fourth quarter – just enough to extend his historic 20-point scoring streak to 128 games, surpassing the mark once held by Wilt Chamberlain days earlier.

The final basket came on an and-one that pushed him over the threshold. Yet afterward, Gilgeous-Alexander insisted the milestone never crossed his mind. “I didn’t care about anything besides winning,” he told reporters after the game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just cracked 10 points before checking into the game in the fourth quarter. He stepped in at a time when the Thunder bench made incredible shots to take over the lead against the Timberwolves. SGA’s late efforts ensured that the Thunder left no space for a comeback whatsoever. In doing so, it helped him grow his 20-point streak.

But the Thunder star maintains he didn’t really focus on the numbers. As he said when breaking the streak, the Canadian guard cares most about the result. Even when his shots weren’t falling, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came up with key stops in the game before taking over late in the fourth.

After the streak survived his worst performance in a few seasons, it’s hard to see anything except an injury that could stop SGA.

Even if the Thunder star doesn’t start well, his intention never changes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is always looking to be aggressive. However, fans don’t feel that keeping the streak alive tonight was a ‘winning coincidence’.

Fans ask Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the truth

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went on a personal scoring run to get to his 20-points against the Timberwolves. By the time he did, the game was sealed. That’s why NBA fans aren’t sold on SGA’s selfless demeanor.

“Blatant lie, he was still in the game up 15 with 1:30 left. They had a 99% win probability, and he was forcing uncontested shots. Fittingly, they let him get his 20th point at the free-throw line, then exited the game right after,” one fan wrote about the performance.

To a degree, there’s some truth to it. But it’s also not a shock to see Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have the ball in his hands in the fourth quarter. The MVP frontrunner leads the league in clutch scoring. He only stayed on the floor for as long as the Timberwolves kept their starters out. Yet, fans weren’t convinced.

“I wish players started being honest about wanting to keep streaks alive,” a fan mentioned. Honestly, there would be nothing wrong if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wanted to keep the streak alive. It’s a historic mark that hadn’t been seen in over 50 years. Hence, fans just want SGA to be honest rather than endorse winning as the reason for him achieving the 20 points.

Of course, some fans were more disgusted by the decision to have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander play for the record. “B——t, not even sure why he was still in the game. This was just as bad as Bam’s 83,” a fan wrote. And well, similar to Adebayo’s mindset, SGA has worked too hard to build this streak.

And he earned those fourth-quarter points to get to his benchmark. It wasn’t an egregious attempt to push his record for more games.

Then there were fans who weren’t really angry. They just didn’t understand why SGA had to give a diplomatic answer. “I never get why players always do ts like it is okay to care about individual accolades,” one such comment read. It could be that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander truly values winning as a reason for his unrelenting aggression. However, to say the streak didn’t matter may be a stretch.

There was some vigor to keep it going. And there is nothing wrong with doing so. Longevity records aren’t just hard to break. For the player, it becomes a standard of performance. Whether SGA did it for the record or not, he still played a positive role. When his shots weren’t falling, his attention shifted to finding open teammates.

A frustrated added – griping: “This free throw merchant was out there in garbage time with a minute left chasing a foul call.” Sure, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did notch his 20th point from the line, but let’s set the record straight—it came as part of an and-one play where he powered through Anthony Edwards’ aggressive defense.

Edwards had made it his mission to clamp down on SGA, denying him easy buckets and trying to snap that historic scoring streak.

That clutch finish marked SGA’s fourth made free throw on the night, out of just five attempts. Far from padding stats, he was a shadow of his usual self at the stripe, nowhere near his season average of 8.1 makes per game. In a game that tested his resolve, SGA willed his way to the milestone the hard way.

He had a game-high 10 assists with only a single turnover. There’s no question that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put winning first. It’s not unethical to go after personal milestones after securing the result.

As long as the team isn’t in jeopardy, SGA can have these moments. But the Thunder ace ensures his efforts are directed towards winning first.