The Oklahoma City Thunder easily defeated the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, but the win came with a potentially significant cost. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sustained an abdominal injury during the contest, and will be out at least through the All-Star break due to the issue, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The severity of the injury is not known at the moment. The team plans to re-evaluate Gilgeous-Alexander after the break, meaning he’ll miss — at minimum — five games before a possible return.
It’s unclear when Gilgeous-Alexander sustained the injury. The 27-year-old turned in a strong performance during the Thunder’s 128-92 win over the Magic on Tuesday, scoring 20 points and dishing out nine assists in nearly 28 minutes on the court.
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While Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged roughly 33 minutes per game this season, his lower playing time Tuesday was more likely due to the Thunder’s big lead, and not the result of an injury.
Gilgeous-Alexander is in the midst of yet another strong season, and is averaging 31.8 points, 6.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds in his follow-up after winning the MVP award last year. Gilgeous-Alexander has the Thunder in a tremendous spot at the trade deadline, with the Thunder sitting at 40-11 entering play Wednesday. If the regular season ended Wednesday, the Thunder would hold the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
As a possible response to Gilgeous-Alexander’s injury, the Thunder acquired guard Jared McCain from the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. The team could look to make other additions ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline depending on how long it expects Gilgeous-Alexander to be sidelined.
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