Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shamelessly intentionally fouled to break a KD scoring record

Oklahoma City Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander exceeded 30 points yet again on Tuesday night.

During a loss against the Pacers, the Thunder trailed by more than 10 points with less than 20 seconds remaining in the game. Gilgeous-Alexander, who is an MVP candidate this season, then committed an intentional foul on Andrew Nembhard.

There wasn’t much need for the foul except that it stopped the Pacers from dribbling the clock out and ending the game. Nembhard, instead, went to the free-throw line and hit both of his attempts. Oklahoma City then had another chance to score. Unsurprisingly, Gilgeous-Alexander was able to secure one more bucket.

This final possession allowed Gilgeous-Alexander to finish the game with exactly 30 points.

It was the 48th time that Gilgeous-Alexander has recorded at least 30 points this season. That passed Kevin Durant for the most in franchise history and is the most in NBA history since James Harden had 57 in 2018-19.

That is an amazing achievement for Gilgeous-Alexander, but the foul was so unnecessary. He could have easily waited to accomplish this is another game that wasn’t already essentially won by the Pacers.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on breaking Kevin Durant’s Thunder 30-point record: pic.twitter.com/6cqpzn9W4V

— Derek Parker (@DParkOK) March 13, 2024

After the game, meanwhile, the Oklahoma City star said it was “cool” and an “honor” to pass Durant in the record book.

Gilgeous-Alexander is now averaging 31.0 points per game since the All-Star break. That ranks as the second-most in the NBA, trailing only Luka Doncic.

He is currently undeniably one of the most impressive and dominant players in the league.