Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing tonight against Sacramento Kings? Latest injury update on NBA MVP contender (April 9) 

MVP contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will return to action on Tuesday night against the Sacramento Kings. Gilgeous-Alexander has been largely absent from the OKC Thunder's depth chart in recent weeks. With the postseason in sight, and SGA sitting as one of the potential favorites, the stakes couldn't be higher for him and the Thunder.

While the team has continued to battle for the first place spot in the Western Conference, his absence has been a sore spot for the franchise. Heading into Tuesday's game against the Sacramento Kings, Shai Gilgeous Alexander will in fact be suiting up after missing four straight games due to a back injury.

With the team eager to build momentum on a recent win, that snapped a losing streak, Gilgeous-Alexander's return couldn't come at a better time.

What happened to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has largely been absent from the OKC Thunder's lineup in recent weeks. Back on March 20th when playing against the Utah Jazz, the young superstar suffered a quad injury that he spoke about post-game, indicating he was banged up.

Although he played in the Mar. 22 game with the Raptors, Mar. 24 game with the Bucks, and Mar. 26 game with the Pelicans, he has since missed time. While dealing with lingering quad pain he's missed six of the OKC Thunder's last seven games since the Pelicans vs. Thunder game.

The only game he's suited up for has been the Thunder's Mar. 31 clash with the Knicks, where he knocked down a game-winner on the road. Since then, he has missed the team's past four games, with the Thunder struggling in his absence.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stats vs. Sacramento Kings

Throughout his career, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played in 14 games against the Sacramento Kings, with three of those games taking place this season. Throughout his 14 games against the Kings, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 25.4 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.6 rebounds.

His highest-scoring performance against the Kings took place earlier this season on Dec. 14, when he erupted for a whopping 43 points in 38 minutes.

How to watch Sacramento Kings vs. OKC Thunder

With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looking to make a statement in his first game back from injury, fans are eager to find out where they can watch the game. While the game won't be nationally televised, a number of different local TV channels will air the game.

Bally Sports Kansas City, Midwest, Oklahoma, and Southwest will all air the game, as well as NBC Sports California for Sacramento fans. The game will also air on NBA League Pass, where viewers nationwide can tune in to the MVP contender's return.

Tip-off will take place at 4 PM Pacific Time, 8 PM Eastern Time, with the game taking place in Oklahoma City.