Injury-Riddled Nets-Thunder Contest Should Prove Fortunate for Oklahoma City

The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered its second loss in six games on Friday night, succumbing to the Dallas Mavericks without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on hand.

A 106-98 defeat, OKC missed the scoring impact of Gilgeous-Alexander’s as nobody in the lineup reached 20 points, with Jalen Williams being the high scorer with 19 points on 22 shots. That couldn’t quite get the job done, even when winning the rebounding and turnover battles.

The Thunder now sets its focus on its upcoming opponent, the Brooklyn Nets. This could potentially be another night without Gilgeous-Alexander as he’s listed as a game-time decision before the team’s contest on Sunday evening.

But beyond that, a slew of impactful players for both teams will be sitting on the bench due to injury. For the Nets, it’s Cameron Johnson, Cam Thomas and Bojan Bogdanovic, among others. Johnson is the only player listed as questionable for Sunday night’s bout.

On Oklahoma City’s side, Isaiah Hartenstein still remains on the sideline with a calf strain, Chet Holmgren is yet to return from his hip fracture, and Ajay Mitchell’s toe injury has him out for the foreseeable months. All the while, Gilgeous-Alexander could possibly be coaching from the bench as well.

Though, this is a Brooklyn team who doesn’t frighten the Thunder. A 14-28 team, Oklahoma City will look to come inside Paycom Center with an edge as the team looks to recoup from its loss to Dallas just a couple nights prior. The Thunder has lost two consecutive games just once this season, and should be refined heading into Sunday to not make it happen twice.

Williams will have to take the scoring reigns and prove to be more efficient offensively in Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence. Working without three of his right hand men, this is where Williams can separate himself and showcase his ability to win a game as the primary point of leadership on Sunday night.

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.