The Oklahoma City Thunder are set to face the seventh-seeded Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center tonight for a game that could significantly impact the standings in the West. The Suns are looking to avoid the Play-In tournament and climb to the top six in the Western Conference standings. A ray of hope for them before a series of tough upcoming games could come from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s absence, who has been dealing with a quad injury since the game against the Utah Jazz on March 20.
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According to the recent injury report submitted by the OKC Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander’s presence for tonight’s game has been deemed as ‘doubtful’ due to the contusion in his right quad. After playing three games with this injury, the 2024 MVP contender was ruled out for Wednesday night’s game against the Houston Rockets. Unfortunately, OKC could not gather a win without their superstar player, falling 126-132 in an overtime loss.
According to the NBA’s Injury Policy, players tabbed as ‘doubtful’ only have a 25% chance of lacing up for the said game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s injury comes at a time when OKC are contending to finish the regular season with the best record in the Western Conference. Perhaps they might have to find the best fit for their rotations to continue their solid record and enter the postseason with intentions of a deep Playoff run.
The Phoenix Suns need to avoid the Play-In Tournament to comfortably contend for the title
The Phoenix Suns currently sit with a 43-30 record, placed seventh in the Western Conference. The West has become a hotbed of competition for the teams, with several talented rosters vying for the top six seeds in the rankings. However, given they are just a spot below the sixth-seeded Dallas Mavericks, the Suns might need to ramp up their wins all within their remaining schedule in the regular season.
The Suns have the NBA’s fifth-best all-time winning percentage, the second-highest winning percentage of any team to have never won a championship. Furthermore, they have the most Finals appearances for a team without a championship. Considering these statistics, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence could be an easy opportunity for the Suns to grab a win.
The Houston Rockets were quickly able to overwhelm the Suns on Wednesday night without Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor. Perhaps, the Suns could also perform with a similar vigor, taking full advantage of OKC’s superstar’s absence.
