ClutchPoints’ NBA MVP Mondays: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s record all but wraps up race

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ClutchPoints’ NBA MVP Mondays: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s record all but wraps up race

Brett Siegel, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Mon, Mar 16, 2026 ·

8 min read

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ClutchPoints' NBA MVP Mondays: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's record all but wraps up race appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

We are officially less than a month away from the end of the 2025-26 regular season, and the door to the MVP race seems to be closing. Although Nikola Jokic , Victor Wembanyama , and others continue to try to improve their resumes, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander appears to be on a collision course with his second straight MVP award.

Should the Oklahoma City Thunder star achieve this feat and be named the NBA's MVP once again, he will join quite the list of legends to claim this award in back-to-back seasons (not including the ABA): Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan , Steve Nash , LeBron James , Stephen Curry , Giannis Antetokounmpo , and Nikola Jokic .

Will SGA become the 14th player to ever win back-to-back MVP awards? After breaking Wilt's record on Thursday , he is well on his way to doing so.

After recording 35 points in a 104-102 win over the Boston Celtics , Gilgeous-Alexander registered his 127th straight game with 20-plus points, passing Chamberlain's 126-game record for the most consecutive 20-plus-point games in NBA history.

This is a historic achievement for SGA , and it's one of those records you look at and wonder if anyone will ever be able to cross this mark again.

"Number one, he's surgical with his craft. No one is more precise with their craft than he is," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said of SGA's historic streak. "Number two, the whole life of the streak has not prevented us from having a ton of team success and hasn't prevented his teammates from having success either. An individual streak that's about scoring has not come at the expense of the team or his teammates.

"He treats everybody in the building, from top to bottom, with dignity. So, he's obviously a great basketball player, but he's the kind of person that you couldn't be happier for when he accomplishes something like this. So, huge congratulations to him."

The Thunder are looking like the team to beat heading into the final few weeks of the regular season, and Gilgeous-Alexander continues to elevate his play to new heights. Anytime you are mentioned with Wilt, you are doing something right, and in Gilgeous-Alexander's case, this may just be enough for him to claim the MVP award once more.

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder *

Previous ranking: #1

2025-26 season stats: 56 games, 31.6 points, 6.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 54.9 FG%, 38.5 3P%

*Can only miss a maximum of 5 more games to remain eligible.

Ever since he missed his 12th game of the season on March 3, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been on a roll. Over his last three games, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 28.6 points, 9.4 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 53.3 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from 3-point range.

The Thunder currently find themselves on an eight-game win streak, and despite Jalen Williams still being out and others continuing to miss games due to various injuries, Gilgeous-Alexander is finding ways to get everyone involved.

He has recorded at least eight assists in four of his last five games, including a season-high 15 assists in a 129-126 win over the Denver Nuggets , a game in which Shai hit two massive shots late in the game, including a game-winning three with 3.3 seconds left.

Shai is playing like the best player in the league right now, and barring something drastic, he will win the 2025-26 MVP award.

2. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets*

Previous ranking: #2

2025-26 season stats: 52 games, 28.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 57.3 FG%, 38.8 3P%

*Can only miss a maximum of 1 more game to remain eligible.

Although the Denver Nuggets have been inconsistent as of late, Nikola Jokic has been on a heate r. This past week, he averaged 25.8 points, 15.5 rebounds, 13.0 assists, and 3.3 steals per game while shooting 55.2 percent from the floor.

Not to mention, Jokic has recorded four straight triple-doubles, the third time this season that he has had four consecutive games with a triple-double. This season, Jokic has 27 triple-doubles in 52 games, 15 more such games than Jalen Johnson (12).

While this has been an MVP-like season for Jokic, his 16 missed games due to a knee injury and the Nuggets' inconsistent play down the stretch run of the season have surrendered ground in the MVP race to Gilgeous-Alexander. It is hard to envision a scenario where Jokic could surpass the Thunder guard at this rate without an injury happening.

3. Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs *

Previous ranking: #3

2025-26 season stats: 52 games, 24.3 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, 50.7 FG%, 36.5 3P%

*Can only miss a maximum of 3 more games to remain eligible.

Out of all the MVP candidates this year, Victor Wembanyama may just be the one with an outside chance of catching up to SGA and possibly swaying some first-place votes. The reason for this is that the San Antonio Spurs are 3.5 games back of the Thunder for the top spot in the Western Conference, and they own the season tiebreaker over Gilgeous-Alexander's squad.

As far as Wemby's numbers go, he has increased his efficiency and has taken on the challenge of competing for the MVP award.

"Right now, in my mind is taking great care of my body cause I also want to win the MVP and the DPOY," Wembanyama told the Amazon Prime crew after a 115-102 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. "So, I'm trying to press the gas from now until the end of the season. Really take care of my treatment, take care of my sleep, take care of my routine, and show up for my team."

You have to admire the passion and fight the 22-year-old superstar has. This season is not over quite yet, and with the Spurs having an outside chance to claim the 1-seed over Oklahoma City , Wemby's MVP dreams remain very much alive.

4. Cade Cunningham – Detroit Pistons

Previous ranking: #4

2025-26 season stats: 60 games, 24.9 points, 10.1 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 46.1 FG%, 34.7 3P%

Can Cade Cunningham overtake Nikola Jokic in assists this year and win his first assists title? Right now, Cunningham leads the league in total assists (603) by a wide margin, but his 10.1 assists per game average is still behind Jokic's 10.5 assists per game mark.

However, Cunningham has made some ground as of late by averaging 11.9 assists over his last eight contests. In this span, the Detroit Pistons guard has tallied six double-doubles, taking his total to 37 on the season, the fourth-most double-doubles in the league.

The Pistons remain the top team in the Eastern Conference standings, and Cunningham is the driving force behind their success. Do not be surprised if he receives some first- and second-place votes for MVP this year. Then again, he won't receive enough to overtake Gilgeous-Alexander.

5. Luka Doncic – Los Angeles Lakers *

Previous ranking: #6

2025-26 season stats: 55 games, 32.8 points, 8.5 assists, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 47.3 FG%, 36.5 3P%

*Can only miss a maximum of 5 more games to remain eligible.

Luka Doncic is back inside the top five of the NBA MVP rankings after briefly falling behind Jaylen Brown . The main reason he has taken over the No. 5 spot and could possibly jump up more between now and the end of the year is due to the Los Angeles Lakers' late-season surge in the standings.

Los Angeles has won five straight games and eight of its last nine overall to momentarily move into sole possession of the 3-seed in the Western Conference. As far as Doncic's MVP campaign goes, he's had his fingerprints all over the Lakers' success, averaging 33.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game during this nine-game span for the Lakers.

Doncic has been incredible lately, scoring at least 30 points in five straight games, and that includes two notable performances. The first was a 51-point game with nine made triples against the Bulls on Thursday, and he followed that up with a 30-11-13 game with a game-winning shot in overtime against Jokic and the Nuggets.

There is no denying Luka's dominance right now, which is why he is back in the top five of the NBA MVP rankings. Should his and the Lakers' success continue into the final weeks of the regular season, there is a chance he could continue to rise in this race.

Just missing the cut

6. Jaylen Brown – Boston Celtics [Ranked No. 5 last week]

7. Anthony Edwards – Minnesota Timberwolves [Ranked No. 7 last week]

8. Kevin Durant – Houston Rockets [Ranked No. 10 last week]

9. Kawhi Leonard – Los Angeles Clippers [Unranked last week]

10. Jalen Johnson – Atlanta Hawks [Unranked last week]

*Signals player is in danger of meeting 65-game minimum threshold for awards/accolades.

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