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Thunder Make Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Announcement Ahead of Suns Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Nathaniel Holloway | Last updated Apr 9, 2025 5:49 PM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the road on Wednesday night as they face off against the Phoenix Suns on the second night of a back-to-back.

Oklahoma City enters Wednesday’s contest having won 13 of their last 14 games including taking down the Los Angeles Lakers at home on Tuesday.

They will now look to keep things rolling against a struggling Suns team that has lost seven consecutive games and will also be without their star forward Kevin Durant once again.

Of course, Wednesday’s game is a massive one for both teams as the Suns try to keep their playoff hopes alive with a victory while the Thunder have their eyes set on home-court advantage throughout the playoffs with a win.

Unfortunately for the Thunder, they will have to try and clinch home-court advantage against the Suns without some key players including their superstar point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Oklahoma City has ruled out Shai due to a shin contusion as he will miss his first game since March 19 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Thunder's injury report for tonight's game against the Suns:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (shin contusion) is out
Lu Dort (patellofemoral injury management) is out
Isaiah Hartenstein (Achilles tendinitis) is out
Cason Wallace (shoulder strain) is out
Ousmane Dieng (calf strain) is…
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) April 9, 2025

With the Thunder being on the second night of a back-to-back, it is clear that they have decided to rest some of their key players to make sure that they are fresh for their upcoming playoff run.

Of course, Shai’s absence will be a major blow to the Thunder, especially after his 42-poitn performance on Tuesday against the Lakers.

Despite this, Oklahoma City should still have a favorable matchup against a Suns team that is still without Durant as he remains sidelined due to an ankle injury.

Oklahoma City will also be without some other key players against Phoenix as they have ruled out Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, Cason Wallace, Ousmane Dieng and Ajay Mitchell.

Fans can catch Wednesday’s matchup between the Thunder and Suns from Phoenix at 10:00 p.m. EST.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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