OKC Thunder: Krejci, Maledon out vs Rockets, Kevin Porter Jr questionable

The OKC Thunder are back in action after a day off, the team welcomes the Houston Rockets into the Paycom Center. These two foes met earlier this season when the Thunder traveled down to the Toyota Center in Houston for the second game of the season. The Oklahoma City Thunder were at full strength and ended up losing that game by a wide margin as the team stumbled to an 0-2 start with two straight blowout losses.

Since then, each team has done a 180. The Oklahoma City Thunder have ripped off a 5-5 record in their last ten games good enough for a 5-8 record, and 11th place in the competitive Western Conference. The Houston Rockets on the other hand, still only have one win, the blowout victory over the Thunder. They are the worst team in the Western Conference and the entire NBA with a 1-13 record. The team is currently on a 12 game losing skid.

Injury report for OKC Thunder vs Houston Rockets November 17th, 2021

The Houston Rockets have sent Dashien Nix and Usman Garuba to the NBA G-League, ruling them out for this contest. Garuba was a top prospect for many entering the 2021 NBA Draft thanks to his defensive prowess and was widely regarded as a draft-night steal for Houston. Nix, did not have the pre-draft season he had hoped for playing with the NBA G-Leauge Ignite after foregoing college, and it led to a big board tumble on Draft Night. A flyer worth taking for Houston.

A year ago, the Houston Rockets traded for Kevin Porter Jr, a disgruntled former first-round pick of the Cleveland Cavilers. After a messy breakout with Cleveland, KPJ had a phenomenal season in Houston during the 72-game sprint a year ago.

This year, Porter Jr is off to a sluggish start, trying to adapt to a new role with the Rockets as the team’s point guard next to their second overall pick, Jalen Green. The Houston Rockets have listed Kevin Porter Jr as questionable with a thigh injury he sustained on Monday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are fully healthy but will miss Vit Krejci and Theo Maledon tonight as the organization sends them on an NBA G-Leauge assignment to the OKC Blue. This could shake up Mark Daigneault’s rotation and see more minutes for rookie guard Tre Mann.

Darius Bazley, who was a true game-time decision on Monday with a foot injury, is not listed on the injury report. This signals he is a full go for the OKC Thunder tonight as the team wraps up their homestand.