When Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe went through a brief slump, All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knew the turnaround was inevitable. Gilgeous-Alexander said Joe was ‘too good’ to stay in a slump for long after scoring a season-high 31 points in a 126-101 victory against the New York Knicks.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has sat at the very top of the NBA MVP rankings over the last several weeks. This battle between him, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo has been close, but now there is a wide gap between Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the field.

More than halfway through the 2024-25 campaign, Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the frontrunner to win MVP.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has his 27th 30 point game of the season. Most 30 point games in the NBA. SGA has scored 30+ in 61.4% of his games.Source: Twitter @BrandonRahbar

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić continue to set the Kia MVP pace for each other and the rest of the field.

In mid-December, Denver’s Nikola Jokic had a healthy lead on Gilgeous-Alexander in ESPN’s MVP straw poll, conducted several times over the course of each season by Tim Bontemps.

The Oklahoma City Thunder cruised to an easy 127-101 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The wire-to-wire win included a lead as high as 29 points. Both franchises are on opposite sides of the competitive spectrum. That was fully displayed on the court.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points and the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Portland Trail Blazers 118-108 on Sunday night.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the top candidate for the MVP title this season. Fans are worried if he will start against the Cleveland Cavaliers

While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to lead the NBA MVP rankings, Nikola Jokic's triple-double average can't be ignored.

The media will never come close to knowing as much about competing and battling in the NBA as those who have played or currently are playing in the league. I have no problem admitting that. They’d mop the floor with us.

The Knicks and Nuggets are surging, while the Warriors watch their window close. Meanwhile, the Cavs and Thunder have their business on lock.