Oklahoma City is missing star big man Chet Holmgren, but SGA has put the team on his back and spearheaded a 13-game winning streak.

After losing to the Thunder, Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander MVP of the season. After the game, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault talked about Gilgeous-Alexander’s gradual improvement on and off the floor.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 29 points as the Thunder rolled to a 116-98 win past the Clippers for an OKC-record 13th straight victory.

As 2025 begins, the balance of power in the NBA is starting to come into focus. Here are some takeaways from the ninth week of the regular season.

Before All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 113-105 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he had a funny interaction with a fan. Gilgeous-Alexander convinced Anthony Edwards he’s the MVP of 2024-25 and most likely convinced a fan to give up on writing poetry.

Eastern Conference: This marks Atkinson’s second time earning Coach of the Month honors in his career. He also won the award in October/November 2024. Atkinson led the Cavs to an Eastern Conference-best 12-1 (.923) record. It also marked the best win percentage in franchise history for the month of December.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and New York Knicks center-forward Karl-Anthony Towns have been named the Kia NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of

Jalen Williams is seventh among West frontcourt players in All-Star voting with 188,722 votes. He's sandwiched between Alperen Sengun (314,223 votes) and Andrew Wiggins (187,530 votes). The full results can be viewed below:

Here are the USA TODAY Sports NBA power rankings at the turn of the calendar, with resolutions each team should carry into 2025.

Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has elevated his game to new heights this season, leading his team to an 11-game winning streak while earning Western Conference Player of the Week.