The Oklahoma City Thunder has dealt with an extensive injury report all season long, and just as they are entering the toughest part of their schedule, perhaps for the entire season, they have been dealt possibly the toughest hand yet. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is set to miss at least a handful of games with a strained abdominal muscle as he will sit out at least through the All-Star Break before being re-evaluated for his eventual return.
The Thunder played their first game without SGA on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs, and not only was SGA out, but a good chunk of the team was, too. Only 5 full-contract players were available alongside all three 2-way contract players. OKC trailed the Spurs by as many as 22 points in the first half, but they managed to cut the deficit to 10 by the end of the fourth quarter. With 4 minutes remaining in the game, the Thunder were within 4 points of the Spurs, but they were unable to complete a comeback before eventually falling 116-106.
Now, OKC hosts the Houston Rockets for a Saturday afternoon matchup, but most of the injured Thunder players are now available to play, plus newcomer Jared McCain will likely make his Thunder debut. While SGA is out, OKC needs to do what is possible to maintain the top spot in the West. Winning at the same rate might not be possible, particularly with how difficult the schedule is, but this is a good opportunity for the team to figure some things out without being able to rely on the reigning MVP.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 2:30 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Television: ABC
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, Houston Rockets Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Cason Wallace
- SG: Luguentz Dort
- SF: Aaron Wiggins
- PF: Chet Holmgren
- C: Isaiah Hartenstein
Rockets
- PG: Amen Thompson
- SG: Tari Eason
- SF: Kevin Durant
- PF: Jabari Smith Jr.
- C: Alperen Sengun
Injury Report
Thunder
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (strained abdominal) is OUT.
- Ajay Mitchell (strained abdominal) is OUT.
- Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgical recovery) is OUT.
- Nikola Topic (surgical recovery) is OUT.
- Jalen Williams (strained right hamstring) is OUT.
Rockets
- Steven Adams (left ankle surgery) is OUT.
- Tristen Newton (G League — two-way) is OUT.
- Jae’Sean Tate (left wrist contusion) is OUT.
- Fred VanVleet (right knee ACL repair) is OUT.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 33-32 against the Rockets in the regular season (23-11 at home, 10-21 on the road) and 7-9 against the Rockets in the playoffs (5-2 at home, 2-7 on the road).
- The Thunder has won the season series with the Rockets 7 times, lost it 5 times, and tied 5 times.
- The Thunder went 3-2 against the Rockets last season (2-0 at home, 0-2 on the road, 1-0 at a neutral location).
- OKC is 2-0 against Houston so far this season (1-0 at home, 1-0 on the road).