Story by
OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is runner-up in NBA MVP voting to Nikola Jokic
- Story by
- OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is runner-up in NBA MVP voting to Nikola Jokic
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished second in the MVP race to Denver center Nikola Jokic , the league announced Wednesday evening.
It marks Jokic's third time winning the award, with back-to-back MVPs. Dallas ' Luka Doncic , who's in town for the Western Conference semifinals, finished third. Jokic's received 79 of 99 first-place votes, compared to 15 for Gilgeous-Alexander and four for Doncic.
Advertisement
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 75 games this season while shooting a career-high 53.5% from the field. He finished the regular season tied with Sacramento 's DeAaron Fox for a league-high 150 steals.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder, the league's second youngest team, to a 57-25 record and a playoff berth as the youngest No. 1 seed in NBA history.
SGA, who won't turn 26 until July, has been a model of consistency this season. Scoring 30 points became formulaic. He scored at least 30 in as many as 51 games, breaking the single season franchise record of 30-point games previously held by Kevin Durant .
The Thunder guard would've been Oklahoma City 's first MVP since Russell Westbrook won in 2017. He's the first MVP finalist for the Thunder since Paul George following the 2018-19 season, who finished third behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden.
Advertisement
More: How OKC Thunder's Mark Daigneault ascended from UConn manager to NBA Coach of the Year
NBA MVP voting
-
Nikola Jokic , Denver Nuggets (926 points)
-
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , Oklahoma City Thunder (640)
-
Luka Doncic , Dallas Mavericks (566)
-
Giannis Antetokounmpo , Milwaukee Bucks (192)
-
Jalen Brunson , New York Knicks (142)
-
Jayson Tatum , Boston Celtics (86)
-
Kevin Durant , Phoenix Suns (1)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finishes 2nd in NBA MVP voting to Nikola Jokic
