Last year, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came inches close to winning his career’s first MVP. Despite his dominant performance all season and leading the Thunder to the top seed, he was edged out by Nikola Jokic, who averaged a near triple-double. The story has been quite similar this year. Except this time—SGA has been the frontrunner for majority of the season, averaging a league high 32.6 points. But his disappointing performance against the Lakers could end up hurting his MVP bid.

Yes, Shai finished today’s game with only 26 points. As a result, the Thunder ended up getting blown out by 27 points—one of their worst losses this season. A major reason behind SGA’s low scoring game was that he was deprived of his key weapon—free throws! For the first time since 2021, he made zero shots from the charity stripes.

For two consecutive seasons, Shai has led the league in free throw volume. This season, he is averaging 8.9 attempts and 8 made free throws per game. So, its clear that a lot of his points come from the charity stripes. However, JJ Redick knew exactly how to tackle that situation and played the whole game without fouling the league’s leading scorer.

That defensive performance was elite, especially considering how explosive OKC has been offensively this season. Holding them under 100? That’s not just strategy—that’s pure hustle and chemistry on the court.

Austin Reaves keeping it real in the post-game, giving flowers where they’re due. The way he shouted out Dorian Finney-Smith, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Jordan Goodwin shows the defensive unit is clicking at the right time. When he said, “You see this man right here [Finney-Smith]? He’s a great defender. We got a lot of guys like that. Vando comes in, Goodie comes in.” while pointing to DFS—it wasn’t just praise, it was a nod to the culture that’s being built around effort and accountability.

Well, other coaches in the league have talked about how hard it is to guard Shai because of his ability to draw fouls. Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said in February, “It’s so frustrating to play this team because they foul a ton. You know they really do. They foul all the time and then you know, you can’t really touch Shai.” Of course, a lot of credit also goes to Shai for mastering this skill and using it to his advantage. However, the tactic did not work against the Lakers and the hoop community used this opportunity to slam SGA.

NBA World claims Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t “beating the allegations” as Nikola Jokic gets “Real MVP” tag

With Shai struggling against the LA team and finishing with the unfortunate stat, calls began mounting against him. The internet was flooded with comments like “And of course the day he hits 0 FT they lose lmfao he ain’t beating the allegations” and “Bro needs FTs to win.” Because of SGA’s high free-throw volume, many have given him the title of ‘Free Throw Merchant’ claiming that getting ticky-tack fouls is the only reason he is leading the league in scoring. His performance today added more fuel to that buzz.

Something similar happened during Friday’s Rockets clash, as one netizen pointed out, “B2b stinkers when he gets no calls… only 2 FTs last game and had 22 pts on 22 shots. We know who Mr. Shai truly is.” Yes, the Thunder got blown out against the Rockets as Shai was limited to only two free-throw attempts in that game. He ended up with just 22 points. Moreover, fans believe that this might be a sign of things to come, as one wrote, “Shai getting the playoff treatment early, get ready for more of this.”

Once the playoffs start, the officials will let the games be more physical and it could end up hurting Shai and the Thunder. That’s because he might not get the calls he has been getting all year. Seeing SGA’s offense getting decimated, many deemed Nikola Jokic the “Real MVP.” While Shai struggled in OKC, Joker dropped a 41-point triple-double against the Pacers. Even though the Nuggets lost the game, Jokic proved once again why he is the best player in the world. And this late stretch could prove pivotal in the final MVP voting. Who is your MVP this season?