NightlyHoops
SG
NBA · OKC

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

G · 6′6″ · Current team: Oklahoma City Thunder

Playoffs · Conference semifinals · Game 1 · May 5, 2026 · LAL 90 @ OKC 108 · Final

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 18 points on 8-of-15 vs Lakers (May 5, 2026)

ANSWER

18 PTS · 8-of-15 FG · 0-of-1 3P · 2-of-3 FT · 35:18 MIN

Usual: 2025-26 regular season, 67 games, Oct 21 – Apr 8 (31.2 PTS · 19.4 FGA · 33.2 MIN)

Game Score 10.1 against a usual 26.6 (-16.5)

SURPRISE SCORE
98Rare
below usual

Playoff game · against the 2025-26 regular season

No more than 2 in 100 games by players at this level finish this far below their usual: playoff games, each against the player's regular-season usual.

How the score works

Why did Shai Gilgeous-Alexander score 18 points?

In Game 1 of the conference semifinals against the Lakers on May 5, 2026, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 18 points in 35:18: 8-of-15 from the field (53.3%), 0-of-1 from three, 2-of-3 on free throws. Before this game, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.2 points on 19.4 shots in 33.2 minutes across 67 regular-season games. Shot attempts: 15, against a usual 19.4. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 53.3% from the field, against a usual 55.4%. By shot type: free throws 2 points (usual 8.0); threes 0 points (usual 5.1); two-pointers 16 points (usual 18.1). Playing time was 35:18, against a usual 33.2 minutes; per 36 minutes, the Game Score was 10.3, against a usual 28.8. Gilgeous-Alexander had 7 turnovers and 1 foul, against a usual 2.2 and 2.0. The Thunder won 108-90 at home against the Lakers. The box score records what changed, not why: it holds no injury, matchup or coaching information.

Generated from the box score and this season's game log. How the score works

01

What changed

Gilgeous-Alexander in this game against the usual line

This game against the usual line
StatThis gameUsual (67 games)Change
Minutes35:1833.2+2.1
Points1831.2-13.2
Shots (FGA) · FG%15 · 53.3%19.4 · 55.4%-4.4 · -2.1
3PA · 3P%0-of-14.3 · 39.2%-3.3
FTA · FT%2-of-39.1 · 87.9%-6.1
Rebounds24.3-2.3
Assists66.6-0.6
Turnovers72.2+4.8
UsageUsual: minutes-weighted average of per-game usage, 67 games30.433.7-3.3
Game Score per 36 minutes10.328.8-18.5
02

Points by shot type

Twos, threes and free throws: the changes add up to the points change

Points by shot type against the usual line
Shot typeThis gameUsual (67 games)Change
Threes0 (0-of-1)5.1 (1.7-of-4.3)-5.1
Twos16 (8-of-14)18.1 (9.0-of-15.1)-2.1
Free throws2 (2-of-3)8.0 (8.0-of-9.1)-6.0
Total1831.2-13.2
03

Game Score

One measure of the whole box score line

10.1 against a usual 26.6 (-16.5)

Its five parts
The change in Game Score, by part
PartChange
Scoring, net of shot attempts-11.2
Rebounds-0.9
Assists-0.4
Steals and blocks+0.4
Turnovers and fouls-4.4
Total-16.5
04

This postseason so far

Playoff games in date order, this game last; no score

This postseason's games, oldest first, this game last
DateRoundOppMINPTSREBASTGame Score
Apr 19, 2026First round · Game 1vs PHX29:12254720.7
Apr 22, 2026First round · Game 2vs PHX38:18375930.5
Apr 25, 2026First round · Game 3@ PHX37:54424838.6
Apr 27, 2026First round · Game 4@ PHX37:30312825.4
May 5, 2026This gameConference semifinals · Game 1vs LAL35:18182610.1
05

Context

From the rows this page already reads

  • The Thunder won 108-90 at home against the Lakers.
  • Previous appearance: Apr 27, 2026, 8 days earlier.
  • No earlier games in this series.
  • The source holds fewer Thunder regular-season games than the 2025-26 regular season had, so the usual line counts only the games it holds.
06

What this page cannot tell you

The same on every performance page

Limits

Box scores record what happened, not why: no injuries or health, defensive assignments, matchups, coaching decisions or play-by-play.

METHOD

Game Score against the player's own regular-season usual line, never blended with last season. How rare a gap is comes from NBA playoff games of 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26, each postseason checked on a table fit on the others; the top tier is Rare.