Thunder Get Major Injury Update On Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is listed as questionable on the official injury report for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s game on Wednesday, January 7.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Utah Jazz at home on Wednesday, January 7, but they may be without the reigning NBA MVP.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is listed as questionable with a right knee bursitis on the official injury report. He was an unexpected addition after he had 21 points, two rebounds and six assists on 33.3% shooting from the field and 16.7% shooting from three in a 124-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, January 5.

Gilgeous-Alexander is having another terrific season, averaging 31.6 points (second in the league), 4.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists while shooting 54.8% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc.

Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Playing Tonight?

Gilgeous-Alexander has missed just one game this season due to left elbow bursitis. His current designation is not related to that, and it appears the Thunder may be trying to give him a rest day. It will be worth monitoring the guard throughout the day.

Oklahoma City won’t take any chances with Gilgeous-Alexander if he is not feeling 100%. The Thunder will likely evaluate him in the hours before playing the Jazz and then make a final decision on his status. If Gilgeous-Alexander is out tonight, Ajay Mitchell and Isaiah Joe will be in line for more minutes.

Alex Caruso (lower back soreness), Ousmane Dieng (right calf strain) Isaiah Hartenstein (right soleous strain) and Jaylin Williams (right heel bursitis) remain out for tonight’s game.

Oklahoma City Thunder Struggling Over The Last Month

While a .500 stretch would be welcomed by most teams in the NBA, it’s an anomaly by Oklahoma City’s championship standards.

The Thunder are just 6-6 in their last 12 games, after looking like they were on pace to be the best regular-season team in league history at the beginning of the season. The Thunder have gone 0-3 against the San Antonio Spurs, their chief rival in the Western Conference this season, during that span. They lost on a last-second three from Devin Booker against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, January 4 and were then blown out by the Charlotte Hornets at home on Monday, January 5.

Gilgeous-Alexander, however, has not stopped scoring at a record pace. He is now just 19 games away from breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s record for most consecutive 20-point performances in NBA history. Gilgeous-Alexander barely kept his streak alive against Charlotte, putting up 21 points in 30 minutes of action. If he misses one more game this season, he can break the record in his home nation of Canada when the Thunder play the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, February 24.

Colin Capece is an NBA Contributing Writer at Heavy. His work has appeared in The Sporting News, The Dallas Morning News, USA Today and The Arizona Republic, where he covered everything from Caitlin Clark mania to a burgeoning cricket league. Capece received his master’s degree from Northwestern University and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame. He roots for all the long-suffering New York sports teams. More about Colin Capece