Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in clutch points (175) AND plus-minus (+93) despite sitting out 25 fourth quarters.
My preseason article that did not age well:
www.si.com/nba/thunder/...
OKC: 52 paint points, 13 steals, 34 points off turnovers
PHX: 24 paint points, three steals, two points off turnovers (not a typo)
GAME 1 FINAL: Thunder 119, Suns 84
OKC made 12 more 2-pointers (on three more attempts)
OKC made one more 3-pointer (on seven more attempts)
OKC forced 11 more turnovers
OKC grabbed five more offensive rebounds
OKC made eight more free throws (on five more attempts)
END 3Q: Thunder 97, Suns 66
OKC: 15 offensive rebounds, four turnovers, 21-for-23 free throws
PHX: 12-for-33 twos, 12 offensive rebounds
SGA: 25 points (5-for-18 shooting), seven assists, zero turnovers
Jalen Williams: 18 points, six assists, six rebounds, zero turnovers
HALFTIME: Thunder 65, Suns 44
OKC: 15 assists/four turnovers, 17-for-28 twos, 13-for-14 free throws
PHX: Nine turnovers, 7-for-22 twos
Holmgren: 16 points, seven rebounds, four stocks
SGA: 15 points on 4-for-11 shooting, three assists
Oso Ighodaro: Seven offensive rebounds
END 1Q: Thunder 35, Suns 20
OKC: Seven offensive rebounds, 8-for-8 free throws
PHX: 4-for-9 twos, 3-for-12 threes
Chet Holmgren: 13 points (including buzzer-beating 3-pointer) on 83.8% true shooting, six rebounds (two offensive), two steals, one block
LAKERS/ROCKETS GAME 1 FOUR FACTORS
LAL made six more 2s (on 13 fewer attempts)
HOU made one more three (on 14 more attempts)
HOU forced five more turnovers
HOU grabbed 18 more offensive rebounds
HOU and LAL made 17 free throws
HOU DOMINATED possession battle but lost anyway.
6MOTY: Keldon Johnson
Johnson, in his seventh SAS campaign, stepped into a more selfless role and played all 82 games. He remained a productive scorer on far better efficiency, also putting up the highest offensive rebound percentage and lowest turnover percentage of his career.
MIP: Neemias Queta
The Portuguese pioneer registered more points, offensive rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and fewer turnovers per 100 possessions than last season. In his first season as No. 2 BOS’ starting center, they were 10.2 points/100 better with him than without him.
ROTY: Kon Knueppel
The CHA sharpshooter recorded better efficiency and impact metrics across the board than every other rookie. He led the NBA in made 3-pointers (273), helping the Hornets record a sizzling 121.3 offensive rating in his minutes.
DPOY: Victor Wembanyama
The dominant 22-year-old improved his team’s defense by 9.7 points/100 (!!!). SAS allowed 5.4% worse true shooting percentage and 2.4% worse offensive rebound percentage with Wembanyama on the floor. He’s already one of the best anchors ever.
MVP: Victor Wembanyama
Why did SAS win 62 games, playing hotter than the Sun for two months straight? Why were they so difficult to stop AND so hard to score on this season? Why did they give every team in the league matchup problems? These answers all boil down to one man.
Here are my 2025-26 NBA awards selections! I’m threading explanations for the top row.
Questions for the more nuanced team picks are more than welcome. For transparency, I used (actual) estimated plus-minus wins as a guideline.
Even as the stakes get lower — a first-round Game 7, a 9/10 play-in game — these Steph Curry performances never feel less remarkable. Savor them while you still can.
Here’s a Basketball starter pack full of hidden gems for the start of postseason play.
All great follows with less than 5k followers currently. Some with less than 100 followers all posting good basketball content on the number one app for sports. @bsky.app
Much respect, Indiana.
Somewhat related: Game 6 of last year’s Finals was the most electric sporting event I’ve ever attended. Thunder stood no chance that night.
Check out the pay increases for WNBA rookies versus last year 👀
No. 1 pick salary up from $78K to $500K
The Detroit Pistons were the best team in the NBA against top 10 opponents, finishing 17-7 with a +5.6 net rating in those games
The Spurs and Thunder were also above .500 in such games
Jokic is No. 1 in one-year RAPM (regularized adjusted plus-minus) and DARKO’s daily plus-minus.
SGA is No. 1 in DunksAndThrees’ estimated plus-minus and ESPN’s net points/100.
Wembanyama is No. 1 in BBall Index’s LEBRON.
Make no mistake: They each have very worthy cases.
SIX-FACTOR RAPM
Offense + defense true shooting percentage influence: Wembanyama +7.3, Jokic +6.8, SGA +5.6
Two-way turnover influence: SGA +2.7, Jokic -0.6, Wembanyama -1.2
Two-way rebounding influence: Jokic +2.8, Wembanyama +1.6, SGA -1.0
Total: Jokic +9.0, Wembanyama +7.7, SGA +7.3
Counting stats do not necessarily reflect impact.
I have used four factor analysis for a couple years now because team performance comes down to two-way scoring efficiency (from field goals), two-way turnovers, two-way rebounding and two-way free throw rate – in that order.
Numerous NBA players possess 99.9th percentile height. It’s almost necessary to enter the league, let alone dominate.
Wembanyama is significantly more mobile and significantly more well-rounded on offense than every other giant among giants throughout basketball history. Can’t use that against him.
Comparing three MVP candidates by unofficial criteria:
POINTS PER 100 POSSESSIONS: SGA 45.3, Wembanyama 41.2, Jokic 38.8
NET RATING: Wembanyama +16.8, SGA +16.1, Jokic +10.9
WIN PERCENTAGE: SGA 82.4%, Wembanyama 78.1%, Jokic 66.2%
Wembanyama’s also the best defender on Earth – food for thought.
OKC THUNDER FOUR FACTORS (82/82!)
PHX made 13 more 2-pointers (on 11 more attempts)
PHX made two more 3-pointers (on five fewer attempts)
OKC forced one more turnover
PHX grabbed four more offensive rebounds
PHX and OKC each made three free throws
FINAL RECORD: 64-18.
Bound to happen, no need to risk injuries with the seeding set in stone
OKC THUNDER FOUR FACTORS (81/82)
OKC made two more 2-pointers (on five more attempts)
DEN made seven more 3-pointers (on one fewer attempt)
OKC forced three more turnovers
OKC grabbed five more offensive rebounds
DEN made three more free throws (on one more attempt)
64-17.
Thanks to another dominant regular season, OKC has positioned itself beautifully entering the 2026 NBA playoffs.
The defending champion experienced predictable record and net rating regression, but will still finish No. 1 in the NBA for each category.
www.si.com/nba/thunder/...
OKC, which improved to 64-16, clinched the No. 1 Western Conference seed and No. 1 overall seed tonight.
Chet Holmgren: 30 points on 86.2% true shooting, 14 rebounds (three offensive), five assists, four blocks, two steals
Isaiah Joe: 21 points on 93.8% true shooting
OKC THUNDER FOUR FACTORS (80/82)
OKC made nine more 2-pointers (on five fewer attempts)
LAC made one more 3-pointer (on two fewer attempts)
Both teams forced 13 turnovers
LAC grabbed four more offensive rebounds
OKC made three more free throws (on equal attempts as LAC)
OKC has shot 64-for-128 (50.0%) from deep in the three April games, winning by 114 combined points.