Concerning Thunder injury update puts pressure on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in WCF Game 4

The 2025-26 NBA MVP is going to have to play like it in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

On Saturday, the Oklahoma City Thunder announced breakout playoff performer guard Ajay Mitchell will miss Sunday's game against the San Antonio Spurs as they look to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

During the playoffs, Mitchell is averaging 15.1 points, 4.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game on 46 percent shooting. He scored a career-high 28 points in Oklahoma City's close-out Round 2 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

As ESPN's Tim McMahon noted, Jalen Williams, who Mitchell replaced in the starting lineup, is questionable with a hamstring injury. Even if available, having missed seven of the Thunder's first 11 playoff games, it's hard to know what to expect from the 2025 All-Star. That puts the onus on reigning two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to have a more efficient outing after an uncharacteristically poor shooting start to the series.

Ajay Mitchell's injury, Jalen Williams' uncertainty add pressure to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander heading into Game 4

Through three games in the Western Conference Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 26.7 points and 11 assists per game but is shooting just 39.1 percent on 21.3 field-goal attempts per game, including 28.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Oklahoma City wasn't impacted by his second sub-40 percent shooting performance of the series in Game 3, when its bench out-scored San Antonio's, 76-23. But as deep as the Thunder are, even they can't rely on their bench to be responsible for such a wide scoring differential going forward.

With the Spurs desperate for a win to tie the series and his team ailing, the Thunder need Gilgeous-Alexander operating at a high level on the offensive end to head back home one win away from a second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. It's a good thing for Oklahoma City that the four-time All-Star wasn't named MVP by accident. If anyone's capable of putting his team on his back and delivering a win, it's Gilgeous-Alexander. He may have to do so to avoid the Western Conference Finals becoming a best-of-three.