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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander injury update: OKC Thunder star 'banged up' with quad issue
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- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander injury update: OKC Thunder star 'banged up' with quad issue
Update: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss Wednesday's Thunder-Rockets game with a right quad contusion.
NEW ORLEANS — In the waning moments of the Thunder's 119-112 win over the Pelicans on Tuesday, during a quarter he launched jumpers just shy of the rim and looked a step off, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hobbled around the floor.
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If his discomfort had been hidden, it was apparent then. Gilgeous-Alexander's legs hadn't been as kind to him as they'd been much of this season. OKC coach Mark Daigneault pointed to a lingering injury.
"Not to the point of not playing obviously, he was out there tonight," Daigneault said, "but he's banged up for sure. He's not 100%. We're monitoring it."
Daigneault wouldn't go into detail, deferring to SGA for the diagnosis. Gilgeous-Alexander relayed what fans had theorized after watching the past couple games.
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Mar 26, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates a score with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports
"Little banged up in my quad since the Utah game," he said. "Just taking it day by day. See how I feel when I wake up."
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Still, Gilgeous-Alexander posted 24 points, five rebounds, eight assists, and was part of Tuesday's game-changing sequence. With under two minutes to play, Gilgeous-Alexander connected on an off-the-dribble 3 just seconds before stripping the ball from Herb Jones , who'd been an obvious irritant for the All-Star guard.
During the stretch, Gilgeous-Alexander only hoped to channel a fraction of the version of himself that's been lifted into MVP conversations.
"Try not to focus on it," SGA said. '… Just not be a liability out there. Try to be aggressive. … Last two minutes, you try to fight through those two minutes and figure it out after."
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Thunder vs. Rockets
TIPOFF:7 p.m. Wednesday at Paycom Center (Bally Sports Oklahoma)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander injury update: OKC Thunder star tweaked quad
