The OKC Thunder continue on their season, despite being banged up. The Oklahoma City Thunder welcome the Utah Jazz to the Paycom Center in downtown Oklahoma City on Friday. The Jazz comes in with a 39-23 record, fourth place in the tough Western Conference with a tough back-to-back on deck. After tonight’s contest against the Bricktown boys, Utah travels to Dallas to take on the fifth place Mavericks who sit only a game back of the Jazz for fourth place. Utah is without Mike Conley, but otherwise healthy against the Thunder on Sunday.
Utah is on a one-game skid, though they are 8-2 in their last ten games entering Sunday, the Thunder sit 20-43, 3-7 in their last ten games, and five games back of the worst record in the NBA. Mark Daigneault’s squad will be very shorthanded against this Western Conference contender which opens up a three-game week that features a back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday against the Bucks and Timberwolves.
The OKC Thunder are extremely shorthanded for Sunday’s game against the Utah Jazz in Oklahoma City, Missing key starters and bench players
The Oklahoma City Thunder will be without their star rookie, sixth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Josh Giddey for at least “a couple of weeks” due to a hip injury that is being tabbed as Hip soreness. Mark Daigneault announced after practice on Saturday that Giddey would miss at least two more weeks with four weeks left in the season.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is still nursing his foot injury with a few weeks left on his six-week reevaluation timetable. Mike Muscala is also out with an ankle injury with an unknown time frame, an injury that has lingered from last year and could need offseason surgery.
Lu Dort (shoulder), Kenrich Williams (knee), Ty Jerome (hip), and Derrick Favors (back) all remain out vs the Utah Jazz with no timeframe to return as of now, according to bench boss Mark Daigneault.
The only player the OKC Thunder will get back against the Utah Jazz is Aaron Wiggins returning from another turned ankle. Wiggins will come off the bench, as the OKC Thunder will start Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tre Mann, Aleksej Pokusevski, Darius Bazley, and Isaiah Roby against the Utah Jazz.