Shai Gilgeous-Alexander answered that question with 51 points against the short-handed Houston Rockets. The Oklahoma City Thunder cruised to a 137-128 win over the Rockets on Monday. After scoring zero in his first six seasons,

Alexander’s putback basket in the fourth quarter put him over 50 points and sent the Oklahoma City crowd into a frenzy.

The Houston Rockets lost to the Western Conference No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night, but not in the way most people anticipated. One game after returning to full strength, the Rockets were depleted in Oklahoma City and a matchup between two playoff contenders lost its intrigue — until tipoff.