Steph Curry dropped 17 points in the second half and made key plays down the stretch. Andrew Wiggins dropped a team-high 27 points, including five 3-pointers. Kevon Looney matched his regular season career-high with 18 points and Gary Payton II (15 points, nine rebounds) stamped the game with a vicious slam dunk with under a minute left.

Gilgeous-Alexander has come a long way since those beginnings. His improbable MVP candidate rise has boosted the Thunder from a short rebuild to a title contender. He scored 52 points in their loss to Golden State as the rest of the OKC squad failed to show up.

What Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had to say about scoring 52 points in a loss versus the Warriors

Oklahoma City takes on the Sacramento Kings after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 52 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 116-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

One week after scoring 54 points in a win, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 52 in a losing effort Wednesday night against the Warriors.

Stephen Curry hit a long 3-pointer with 1:52 left on the way to 21 points, Andrew Wiggins scored 27 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 116-109.

The 116-109 win means the Warriors have beaten the Western Conference front runners for the second time in three meetings this season. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The 33-year-old is on a two-year, $26.3 million deal. It's a team-friendly deal that fits perfectly with OKC's payroll timeline. He fits the Thunder's mold for a role player and could spot-start when needed.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are halfway through the season and have cleared themselves as a title contender. They comfortably sit in first place at the Western Conference headlined by the All-Star duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.

Thunder doesn’t lose that much, but also strange because the Thunder produced one of the most top-heavy box scores in NBA history.