The Oklahoma City Thunder are fighting for dear life in the West. They currently occupy the 10th and final Play-In spot in the conference with just five games remaining in the regular season. This includes Friday’s must-win game against the Indiana Pacers. Unfortunately for OKC, they will once again be without their star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for Friday’s tilt.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander injury status vs. Pacers
The bad news for OKC fans everywhere is that Shai is now set to miss his third straight game on Friday. This is after the Thunder officially ruled him out against the Pacers due to a lingering ankle sprain. It’s this same injury that has kept SGA out for the last two games, and at this point, it remains unclear how close he is to returning. He’s clearly still quite a ways away, though, after being ruled out more than 24 hours before Friday’s matchup.
In other injury news, Kenrich Williams will also be unavailable for the Thunder. The Pacers, on the other hand, will be without All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who now appears to be getting shut down for the remainder of the season. Chris Duarte and Kendall Brown are both out as well, while Myles Turner remains questionable to play.
On paper, Friday’s showdown against the Pacers should be OKC’s easiest matchup in their final five games. Their next four opponents present more formidable challenges for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co., with games against the Phoenix Suns, the Golden State Warriors, the Utah Jazz, and the Memphis Grizzlies all coming up.
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