ANOTHER dominant display from two-way centre Oscar Tshiebwe has led the Salt Lake City Stars to a massive 30-point win over the Mexico City Capitanes and into the top spot in the Western conference in the G League.

The Stars hosted the Capitanes at Delta Centre on Thursday morning, looking to take top spot out West with a win over an inconsistent opposition. The fixture is edging closer to conclusion, and with so many contenders in the conference, finishing as the top seed and getting a more favourable matchup in the postseason could be defining.

After a close start to the match and a tied game at the first change, the Stars began to put the foot down in the second term, shooting 55 per cent from the field to lead by 13 at half-time. The second half was a completely one sided affair, particularly the fourth term, where Salt Lake City nailed 75 per cent of shots to cruise home to a 30-point triumph.

A career-night from Tshiebwe was the biggest positive for the Stars, with the big man showing he might just be ready to take the next step and perform at NBA level.

Salt Lake City Stars (125) def. Mexico City Capitanes (95)

Oscar Tshiebwe – 37 points, 26 rebounds, two assists, one block

Although his game has not translated to the NBA just yet, Tshiebwe continues to get better in the G League, and his performance against Mexico City is the culmination of a seriously impressive patch of form.

The former Kentucky big man was simply dominant in the win over the Capitanes, with the opposition having no answer for his physicality in the paint. He was able to do as he pleased in the low block and had no resistance from the opposition’s frontcourt.

By the time the first quarter was wrapped, Tshiebwe already had 10 points and seven rebounds to his name, looking like a one-man army for the Stars and ensuring they still stayed in the match at 33 apiece with some late free throws in the term.

He continued to build his numbers over the next couple of quarters, particularly on the rebounding front, where he was unrivaled in his ability to get first hands on the ball. However, it was the final quarter that truly put the finishing touches on a career-best night.

In the fourth term, Tshiebwe posted 13 points without missing a shot in a tremendous display of inside scoring, with every shot never looking like misfiring. It was the perfect exclamation mark on a memorable night for the Congolese center.

His 37-point, 26-rebound performance is up there with the best individual showings of the entire G League season, and it marked his seventh 20/20 game of the fixture, which is a competition record and reflects the dominance he has found at this level.

The challenge for Tshiebwe now is to translate this level of excellence to the NBA, which he has not been able to do yet, averaging 5.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. However, Thursday’s showing is a clear indicator that the talent and workrate is certainly there, and it seems a matter of time before he stakes his claim on the NBA and delivers a breakout game for the Utah Jazz.