The Golden State Warriors withstand 52 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to beat Western Conference leaders Oklahoma Thunder 116-109.

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.

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 Celtics, who are 11-9 since a 21-5 start, acknowledged that the aftermath of their championship celebration has affected their intensity this season.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault's honest admission of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's humble approach as a leader

For the West guards, the player who obtained the most votes and who will start in back-to-back All-Star games is none other than Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. S

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and LeBron James were named among the starters for next month's NBA All-Star Game on Thursday (Friday in Manila).

NBA superstars LeBron James and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were named among the starters for next month's NBA All-Star Game. Oklahoma City star

James — a pick for 21 straight years — now has two more selections than anyone else in NBA history (Abdul-Jabbar was a 19-time pick) and is three years clear of anyone else for the longest streak of consecutive selections. Kobe Bryant was picked for 18 consecutive games, the second-longest such streak.

Los Angeles Lakers icon LeBron James has extended a historic streak with his 21st NBA All-Star Game, where he has again been selected as a starter. | TAG24