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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the man many believe to be the 2023-24 MVP, will miss Wednesday's game against the Houston Rockets. Amid an impressive stretch that has seen he and the OKC Thunder battle it out for the top seed in the West, SGA will be absent from Western Conference meeting. According to the NBA.com injury report, Gilgeous-Alexander will miss the game due to a quad contusion.
The injury report, submitted to the league's website by teams daily, every hour on the hour, includes the latest injury updates. As of the 2:30 p.m. report on the site, a right quad contusion will keep the MVP favorite out of the Wednesday meeting with the Houston Rockets.
It will mark only the second game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss all season, with the first being a meeting with the Lakers in February. In that instance, Gilgeous-Alexander sat out due to left knee sprain sustained against the Houston Rockets earlier in the month.
With the postseason in sight, a right quad contusion will keep Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out of the rematch with the Rockets.
What happened to Shai-Gilgeous Alexander?
With the news that Shai-Gilgeous Alexander will miss the game against the Houston Rockets, many wonder what happened to his quad. The Athletic's Andrew Schlecht shared on social media, while speaking to media members on Tuesday evening, the MVP candidate opened up on the injury.
As he explained, his right quad was banged up since the Thunder's Mar. 20 meeting with the Utah Jazz. The game saw the Thunder win 119-107, where he dropped 31 points in 33 minutes.
Moreover, he also explained that he would be taking things day by day and seing how he feels. With the game being the second leg of a back-to-back for the Thunder, it will be interesting to see how long he winds up on the sidelines.
Looking at other OKC Thunder players who will get minutes in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's absence
This season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 34.4 minutes per game. Given that, coach Mark Daigneault will look to his reserves to make up the difference in an attempt to minimize the void left by the MVP candidate.
Hence, expect the team to give Isaiah Joe and Cason Wallace increased minutes. Moreover, Lindy Waters III could also receive some minutes depending on how the game goes.
This season, Joe is averaging 7.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assist per game. At the same time, Wallace, who has impressed as a rookie, is averaging 6.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
With the Thunder 8-2 in their last 10 and the Rockets on a nine-game win streak, expect fireworks, even with SGA on the sidelines.
Guess the Lakers players!
