The Oklahoma City Thunder have clinched a bid for the NBA postseason as the Chicago Bulls knocked off the Dallas Mavericks. With the postseason locked in, the OKC Thunder will rest their regular players in their season finale against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The OKC Thunder are going to be without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams, Aleksej Pokusevski, Kenrich Williams, and Chet Holmgren in this contest. In addition to them, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins will only see limited playing time in this afternoon’s tilt with the Grizzlies.
OKC Thunder to rest against Memphis, prepare for the NBA play-in tournament on Wednesday.
That leaves the active roster at Jared Butler, Tre Mann, Ousmane Dieng, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Olivier Sarr who will be the starting five in this contest. Along with the aforementioned Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe. In addition to those names, Dario Saric and Lindy Waters III will be available.
Mark Daigneault reminded those of us in the media that Olivier Sarr and Jared Butler are not eligible to play in the postseason on Wednesday due to the nature of their two-way contracts. As a thank you for the hard work those two players have put in for the Thunder, not only will they start tonight, but play extensive minutes in this contest.
The Thunder are getting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company much needed rest, nearly a full week off, as the regular rotation has not played since Thursday against the Utah Jazz and will not lace up the kicks again until Wednesday.
If the OKC Thunder win this afternoon, they will have tallied 40 wins on the season, an impressive round number considering the year’s expectations. If they lose today, and happen to stumble in the play-in tournament, it bolsters their NBA Draft Lottery odds.
Much like the rest of this season, this game is a win-win for the Oklahoma City Thunder.