TORONTO, Ont. (February 25, 2021) - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort and the Oklahoma City Thunder have dominated this space for much of this season and this week is no exception. In a 102-99 thriller over the San Antonio Spurs, the Canadian duo in OKC added to their highlight reels. While Gilgeous-Alexander dropped a career-high 42 points to go with eight rebounds, four assists and a block, Dort came through in the clutch, drilling a three-pointer from the corner as time expired to give the Thunder the win.

In addition to being Dort’s first NBA game-winner, it was the first ever game-winner in his basketball playing career. “When it dropped in, I dropped, too,” Dort said after the game, via Brandon Rahbar of Daily Thunder. Immediately after the shot fell through the net, Dort’s teammates mobbed him to celebrate. “It felt great,” Dort said. “They were all yelling in my face. It felt great seeing everyone happy for me.”

With his 42-point night, Gilgeous-Alexander became the fourth Canadian in NBA history to score at least 40 points in a game, joining Steve Nash, Andrew Wiggins and Jamal Murray. He also became the fifth player in Thunder/SuperSonics history to score at least 40 points at age 22 or younger, joining some more elite company in Kevin Durant, Spencer Haywood, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander said he was just concerned with getting the win.

“He made the right play throughout the game,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “He’s not chasing accolades. He could have forced 50 points tonight, but he took what the defence gave him."

The strong and savvy play of the Canadian twosome caught the eye of all-time great Magic Johnson this week.

Gilgeous-Alexander has been on a tear since returning from a knee strain. Prior to Wednesday’s career-night, he scored 27 points against the Miami Heat and 31 points (and nine assists) against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The third-year point guard is averaging 22.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game in his second season with the Thunder.

Dort has also been putting in work. In addition to Wednesday’s game-winner, Dort contributed 16 points in the team’s victory and hit three of his four three-pointers in the fourth quarter.

“Lu’s changed it around, obviously, changed the narrative,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of his teammate putting in work on both ends of the floor. “When you work hard, confidence comes with it because you believe in yourself.”

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Canadian regular season record for Murray

It was impossible to choose between three deserving performances this week, so in addition to a career-high for Gilgeous-Alexander and a game-winner for Lu Dort, Jamal Murray also owns this space thanks to a regular-season career-high 50-point performance in a 120-103 Denver Nuggets win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Murray was flat-out ridiculous in the game, connecting on 21-of-25 field goals, including 8-of-10 three-point field goals as he scored his 50 points in 38 minutes. He added six rebounds, two assists and two steals as he became the first player in NBA history to reach 50 points without a single free throw attempt.

Murray was asked after the game if it mattered who was guarding him.

“It never matters,” he said, perfectly summing up his red-hot shooting night.

In the game prior to Murray’s 50-point career-high, he scored 35 points to go with nine rebounds and six assists in a narrow 130-128 loss to the Washington Wizards. He followed up the 50-point performance with 30 points in a loss against the Atlanta Hawks, and then added 24 points, five rebounds and eight assists in a 111-106 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers.

While this is Murray's regular-season career-high, the fifth year NBAer scored 50 points twice during the postseason in the NBA Bubble this past summer. The Kitchener, Ont. native is averaging 21.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game for the Nuggets this season.

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Free Throws

- RJ Barrett helped the New York Knicks to a 103-99 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday with a 21-point performance. Barrett shot 10-for-20 from the floor in 34 minutes while adding four rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block in the win. Through 32 games, Barrett is averaging 16.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest.

- Miami Heat forward Kelly Olynyk had a season-high 22 points in a recent 118-110 win over the Sacramento Kings. Olynyk, who is averaging 10.1 points per game this season, scored his 22 points on 10-for-16 field goals while adding seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 24 minutes. The victory was the first of four straight for the Heat who will face the hottest team in the NBA when they go for their fifth straight win when they face the Utah Jazz on Friday.

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Game of the Week

Denver Nuggets @ Oklahoma City Thunder

Saturday, Feb. 27, 8 p.m. ET.

Yes, that’s right, another Nuggets and Thunder match-up. Though it feels like these two teams have already faced off plenty this season, it’s simply not an option to look away when either of these teams are in action thanks to Jamal Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort. After a week of Murray scoring 50 points, Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 42 points, and Dort hitting his first ever game-winner, this one is a must-watch for Canadian hoops fans.