After 70 games, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has managed to turn the Oklahoma City Thunder into a contender while building a strong case to win MVP this season. The thing is, his body is paying the price for his elite-level performance in the form of a worrisome quad injury.
But before the public was alerted to anything different, Gilgeous-Alexander helped OKC reach a 119-112 victory over the Zion Williamson-led New Orleans Pelicans. In that game, the All-Star guard posted 24 points, five rebounds, and eight assists in a little over 38 minutes on the court.
Second-year star Jalen Williams led all Thunder players with 26 points, two rebounds, and five assists, while connecting 50 percent of his shots from deep. Josh Giddey added 25 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in the win. The Pelicans, on the other hand, saw Zion Williamson drop 29 points and 10 rebounds to lead their team.
Unfortunately, New Orleans froze in the final stretch of the game, allowing the Thunder to go with the victory in the process. The win helped Oklahoma City retain its hold on the second seed while the Pelicans dropped to fifth place behind the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers.
Oklahoma City Thunder Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s True Status of Quad Injury
After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander spoke to the media and revealed how his body has been holding up. In a video posted by Ross Lovelace on X:
The Thunder All-Star guard just confirmed what head coach Mark Daigneault said about him not being 100% percent lately. Unfortunately, that game against the Jazz happened more than a week ago, which meant that Gilgeous-Alexander might have aggravated the condition of his quad.
Even if that’s the case, the OKC’s All-Star and one of this year’s leading MVP candidates is still playing at a high level. Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 22.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 3.0 steals from the time he played against the Jazz up until his most recent game against the Pelicans.
If the Thunder are to win it all this year, they’re going to need their best player at 100%. For that to happen, Gilgeous-Alexander might need to take some time off from playing to give OKC a serious chance to contend in the playoffs. Otherwise, Oklahoma City’s chances to making a deep playoff run and reaching the NBA Finals is going to tank hard.
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