OKLAHOMA CITY — Superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will sit out the Thunder’s home game against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday due to a right quadriceps contusion.
Gilgeous-Alexander originally suffered the injury during a March 20 win over the visiting Utah Jazz. He played in the Thunder’s next three games but did not perform up to his MVP-contender standards, averaging 19.7 points on 44.2% shooting during that stretch.
“He’s banged up, for sure,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault told reporters after Gilgeous-Alexander hobbled noticeably at times while scoring 24 points in 38 minutes during Tuesday’s road win over the New Orleans Pelicans. “He’s not 100 percent. We’re monitoring it.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, who has missed only one previous game this season, ranks third in the league with 30.4 points per game on 54.0% shooting. He has led the Thunder to a 50-21 record, putting Oklahoma City a half-game behind the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the battle for first place in the Western Conference.
The Rockets have the NBA’s longest active winning streak with nine. Houston (36-35) has climbed within one game of the Golden State Warriors for 10th place and the final play-in spot in the West.
