NBA MVP watch: Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander takes center stage with expansive game

Through three quarters against the Boston Celtics on Jan. 2, Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla had seen enough. All-NBA defender Jrue Holiday wasn’t the answer. Derrick White struggled to slow Gilgeous-Alexander. In the fourth quarter, Mazzulla put Jayson Tatum on Gilgeous-Alexander.

That’s when the Thunder guard went into playmaking mode. He delivered two assists to Chet Holmgren – both 3-pointers – as Oklahoma City held off Boston for a 127-123 signature victory. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 36 points, seven assists, six rebounds and one steal.

It showcased all of Gilgeous-Alexander’s elite and expanding skills (scoring, playmaking, defending, rebounding) as he morphs from All-NBA first-team guard to a serious contender in the NBA MVP race.

This season, he averages 31.5 points (No. 3 in the league), 6.4 assists (career-high), 6.0 rebounds (career-high) and 2.4 steals (No. 1 in the league) and shoots 54.9% (a career-high) from the field, 35% on 3-pointers and 88.8% on free throws for the Thunder (24-11).

Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are among the best stories in the 2023-24 NBA season.

“His improvement has been so consistent and incremental,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "He touched up the edges on every part of his game. He always does that. He's touched up the edges off the ball as a catch and shoot player, as an attacker, as a secondary playmaker for sure. He's played faster and faster every season, which has been essential for his improvement because teams have gotten more and more focused on him. ... The last two years he's been outstanding. He's been able to take on really any matchup. He's become an elite help defender and communicator.

“And then, he's obviously got an outsized presence in our locker room because of his talent and because of what he's accomplished to this point. And he's learning how to leverage that for the good of the team. He's always had that intention, but leveraging it intentionally from a leadership standpoint is a different thing. And it's an acquired skill and one that he's done a nice job with to this point and will only continue to refine because he cares cares about team success and I have a lot of admiration for him for that.”

If Gilgeous-Alexander, 25, continues to play that well and the Thunder continue to win, he will finish higher than last season’s fifth place in the MVP race and have a shot at winning MVP.

USA TODAY NBA MVP rankings

5. (tie) Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum

2023-24 stats: 27.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.0 spg, 47.9% FG, 36.7% 3P, 80.8% FT

Previous ranking: 6 (tie)

Getting better by the season as an all-around player, Tatum is shooting a career-best from the field (47.9%) and is as reliable a star as they come offensively and defensively.

5. (tie) Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo

2023-24 stats: 31.4 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 5.9 apg, 1.3 spg, 1.2 bpg, 61% FG

Previous ranking: 3

Antetokounmpo has started the new year overpowering opponents with his brand of basketball: 30 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists against Indiana; 44 points and 14 rebounds against San Antonio; and 48 points and 17 rebounds against Houston.

4. Denver Nuggets forward Nikola Jokic

2023-24 stats: 25.5 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 9.2 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.9 bpg, 56.9% FG, 34.2% 3P, 81.8% FT

Previous ranking: 5

In a victory against Detroit on Sunday, Jokic took just three shots, scored just four points – and dominated with 16 assists and five blocks. The Nuggets outscored the Pistons by 16 points with Jokic on the court for just 24 minutes.

3. Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić

2023-24 stats: 33.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg. 9.1 apg, 48.5% FG, 38% 3P, 77.8% FT

Previous ranking: 2

In the past three weeks, over 12 contests, Dončić has had games with 39, 40, 38, 39, 50, 39, 39 and 41 points. Two triple-doubles included.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

2023-24 stats: 31.5 ppg, 6.4 apg, 6.0 rpg, 2.4 spg, 54.9% FG, 35% 3P; 88.8% FT

Previous ranking: 4

Gilgeous-Alexander leads the NBA with 26 games scoring 30 or more points and has hit at least 30 points in 19 of his past 23 games.

1. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid

2023-24 stats: 34.6 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 6.0 apg, 2.0 bpg, 1.1 spg; 53.5% FG, 36% 3PT, 88.2% FT

Previous ranking: 1

The Sixers are 21-6 with Embiid in the lineup, and though he played in just nine of 14 games in December, he averaged 40.2 points, 12.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.4 steals and shot 60.6% from the field, 42.3% on 3-pointers and 92.1% on free throws.

Worth noting: Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards; Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox; Phoenix’s Kevin Durant; Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell; Phoenix’s Devin Booker; Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton (out two weeks with hamstring strain); New York’s Jalen Brunson.

NBA MVP odds

Nikola Jokic +175

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander +300

Luke Doncic +425

Joel Embiid +450

Giannis Antetokounmpo +1200

Jayson Tatum +300

Anthony Edwards +4000

Kevin Durant +5000

De’Aaron Fox +5000

Devin Booker +5000

(Odds courtesy of BetMGM)

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt

Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside.