Shai Gilgeous-Alexander upgraded to active against Hawks

The Oklahoma City Thunder welcome the Atlanta Hawks on Monday to the Paycom Center in downtown Oklahoma City. This is the second to last home game of this massive early-season home stand. On Friday, the OKC Thunder were without superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the Bricktown boys fell to the Golden State Warriors.

Last Wednesday, Gilgeous-Alexander finished the New Orleans Pelicans game after tweaking his knee. What was then described as a hyperextension ruled Gilgeous-Alexander out for Friday’s inauguration In-Season Tournament game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander upgraded to active, with no minute restrictions, on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks.

While there is never a good time to get injured, the OKC Thunder saw just one game sprinkled into a four-day mix, which gave the superstar four off days for the price of one game. That had to help get Gilgeous-Alexander back on the hardwood on Monday as the team enjoyed their first consecutive off days of the season this weekend.

After being upgraded to questionable earlier in the day, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was tabbed as active before Mark Daigneault’s pregame presser. In the news conference, the OKC Thunder bench boss explained that Gilgeous-Alexander will have no minutes restrictions.

Gilgeous-Alexander averages 34 minutes per tilt, with his lowest minute load coming against Denver, where he only logged 28 minutes in a blowout loss.

The Atlanta Hawks will be without Kobe Bufkin, Seth Lundy, Wesley Matthews, and Miles Norris. Like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, De’Andre Hunter was upgraded to available for Atlanta.