On a night where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took 35 shots — 16 field goals and 19 free throws — you could count his total number of misses on one hand. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s budding superstar haunts the Portland Trail Blazers defense all night, even getting the best of seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard on a drive to the basket while also scoring a majority of his buckets on athletic, highlight-reel drives and midrange pull-ups. Gilgeous-Alexander proves to be a reliable teammate too, working hard on defense to pick up a pair of steals while building chemistry with Josh Giddey — once on a behind-the-back dish and another by threading the needle on a difficult bounce pass that turns into four Thunder points. When the dust had settled, the fifth-year guard had matched his previous career-high of 44 points on 13 of 16 shooting and an 18 for 19 mark at the line, along with three rebounds, seven assists and two steals in the Thunder’s 138-129 victory on February 10, 2023. Gilgeous-Alexander became the first player in franchise history to score 40-plus points on 80 percent shooting. · Feb 11, 2023