While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to lead the NBA MVP rankings, Nikola Jokic's triple-double average can't be ignored.

Gilgeous-Alexander took a break to start the final quarter, and the Thunder led 102-99 when he checked back in. He hit a 3-pointer that gave OKC a 115-106 lead and secured his career night. He then scored his 50th point on a pull-up jumper over Lauri Markkanen with 1:28 to go that gave the Thunder a 119-110 lead.

In mid-December, Denver’s Nikola Jokic had a healthy lead on Gilgeous-Alexander in ESPN’s MVP straw poll, conducted several times over the course of each season by Tim Bontemps.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has sat at the very top of the NBA MVP rankings over the last several weeks. This battle between him, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo has been close, but now there is a wide gap between Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the field.

The players announced to start for the Western Conference are Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.

Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins is a fan of OKC Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. On Thursday's episode of "NBA Today," Perk spoke highly of Gilgeous-Alexander and predicted he could be the next face of the league. His comments came after the two-time All-Star led the Thunder to a 123-114 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.

NBA.com released their latest Kia NBA MVP ladder and the rankings continue to be unfavorable towards Jokic. Jan. 24's edition of the regular installment featured Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander retaining his spot at the top of the list.

Has Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander already locked up the NBA’s MVP award? After turning in a career-high 54-point game in OKC’s win over the

Things are shaking up at the top of the rankings this week. Some of these positions may be a bit controversial, but there’s no denying the Wolves have earned their spot after a strong week.

Three-time NBA champion Danny Green has thought long and hard about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's case for winning the MVP award. According to the former player, on Jan.

The Knicks and Nuggets are surging, while the Warriors watch their window close. Meanwhile, the Cavs and Thunder have their business on lock.