Before the match, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came over and winked while referencing his current series. “ He was like, 'Oh, you're going to break the record in front of us?' “, reports Daniel Gafford. “SGA” quickly had its answer. While the Mavs' pivot was two more baskets short of tying Wilt Chamberlain for the most consecutive shots scored, the former Wizard missed the target… on the first possession.
A little shot near the circle sent a little too hard. “ My butt hurt a little when I missed the first layup. […] I was like 'Oh, he got me' », confides the interior with a smile.
His series thus ended after an impressive 33/33 on shots during his last five outings. Admitting to having thought about it a lot over the last two matches, the pivot remains honored to have seen his name attached to his legendary predecessor. “ I have a huge smile on the inside just from that, from having had a chance to do it. »
An important defensive presence
His series finished and his team beaten on the Thunder floor, the pivot nonetheless had a great match with 19 points (8/11 on shots) and 15 rebounds. His coach Jason Kidd found his series “ very impressive. When it comes to Wilt Chamberlain, there aren't many guys in that category. And for Gaff to be there, to be mentioned with Wilt, it's really special. Also, on defense he plays an important role, as he is able to protect the rim and grab rebounds. It's really awesome. Unfortunately, the series has come to an end. »
However, Daniel Gafford announced it straight away: he wants to try his luck again… by the end of the season! “ Like you said, good things come to an end, but I had a taste, so now I'm going to be greedy […]. This is not my only chance. I am sure of it. I don't know how many games we have left to play this season, but I will definitely try to do it before the end of the regular season », he says.
He has precisely 15 games left to try to get closer to the record again. And above all to contribute to the Mavs (38 wins – 29 losses), 8th in the West, qualifying directly for the playoffs.
| Daniel Gafford | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2019-20 | CHI | 43 | 14 | 70.1 | 0.0 | 53.3 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 5.1 |
| 2020-21 * | All Teams | 54 | 15 | 68.4 | 0.0 | 66.7 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 4.3 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 7.0 |
| 2020-21 * | CHI | 31 | 12 | 69.0 | 0.0 | 65.9 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 4.7 |
| 2020-21 * | W.A.S. | 23 | 18 | 68.1 | 0.0 | 67.2 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 5.6 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 10.1 |
| 2021-22 | W.A.S. | 72 | 20 | 69.3 | 0.0 | 69.9 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 5.7 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 9.4 |
| 2022-23 | W.A.S. | 78 | 21 | 73.2 | 0.0 | 67.9 | 2.1 | 3.5 | 5.6 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 9.0 |
| 2023-24 * | All Teams | 58 | 25 | 70.6 | 0.0 | 69.5 | 2.8 | 5.0 | 7.8 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 10.8 |
| 2023-24 * | W.A.S. | 45 | 27 | 69.0 | 0.0 | 70.6 | 2.9 | 5.1 | 8.0 | 1.5 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 10.9 |
| 2023-24 * | DAL | 14 | 19 | 78.0 | 0.0 | 65.6 | 2.4 | 4.6 | 7.0 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 10.6 |
| Total | 305 | 19 | 70.6 | 0.0 | 67.2 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 5.3 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 8.6 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
