Canada's Gilgeous-Alexander making 50-point games a regular occurrence for West-leading Thunder

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

The Thunder star responded by jogging downcourt expressionless, as if it were no big deal.

That's because it has become almost routine for the Canadian. His final touch on a 51-point night clinched his fourth 50-point performance in his last 19 games.

"It becomes — you can say it's not as exciting as the first one, but it's more like getting lost in the process of just competing and playing the game you love," Gilgeous-Alexander, of Hamilton, said. "And then wherever that takes you, it takes you."

Besides, he was most concerned with the final result — a 137-128 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday.

Gilgeous-Alexander became the 12th player in NBA history with at least four 50-point games in a season. His scoring binges have helped Oklahoma City roll to a Western Conference-leading 50-11 record. The Thunder are 3-1 when he scores at least 50 points.

"Whether it's 50, whether it's 27, whether it's 17 — as long as we win, I have fun with it," he said. "It's a fun night."

Gilgeous-Alexander played 397 career games before reaching the 50-point mark. His first time hitting the milestone was a career-high 54-point outburst in a win over Utah on Jan. 22. He then scored 52 on Jan. 29 in a loss to Golden State and 50 in a home win over Phoenix on Feb. 5.

From the outset against the Rockets, it appeared this might become a special night as well when Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points in the first quarter. He said he took over because the team got off to a rough start. Even with his scoring spree, Houston led 31-30 at the end of the period.

"I tried to be a little bit more aggressive once we kind