SGA's 43 points earn our top grade — at 7.2, not the star billing you'd expect

Our index has a verdict on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 43-point night: very good, not historic. The Oklahoma City guard tops the Pred1x Grade at 7.2 (43 PTS, 3 REB, 8 AST in 38.6 minutes), yet lands 1.7 under the reference rating of 8.9. His scoring component tops the sheet, but a rebounding mark of 0.2 keeps the ceiling low.

Dix was not alone. Kenrich Williams graded 5.1 against 7.1 and Bennett Stirtz 5.0 against 6.9, and with no player in the entire game rated above their reference number, our index was stingy on both rosters. Cleveland's best was Mario Hezonja at 6.8 (12 PTS, 8 REB), ahead of Evan Mobley (6.7) and Donovan Mitchell (6.6), whose 11 assists brought a playmaking score of 0.975 but a defense of 0.0. As the Thunder left Rocket Arena 117-112 winners, even their depth read thinner than the scoreboard.