After seeing their 15-game win streak snapped on January 8 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the OKC Thunder find themselves amid a new stretch. They've rattled off two victories in a row to lift themselves to 32-6 on the year, and, based on the fact that both outings ended with a point differential of over 25 points, it doesn't appear the ball club will be slowing down any time soon.
Now, considering Oklahoma City will be squaring off against the lowly Philadelphia 76ers (15-22) Tuesday night, the expectation is they'll go on to extend this streak to three straight as they head into a rematch with the Cavs this coming Thursday.
Of course, though the odds may be in the Thunder's favor, considering the star talents the Sixers have within their rotation and the fact that they'll have homecourt advantage on their side, a win should not be seen as an all-out guarantee.
However, what does seem to bode well for OKC is that they may be getting one of their key rotation pieces back in the mix following a long-standing, injury-induced hiatus.
Alex Caruso's status for tonight's game vs. Sixers
Out for 10 games and roughly three weeks, Alex Caruso (left hip strain) has officially been taken off the league's injury report ahead of Tuesday's bout against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Thunder injury report
Out: Ousmane Digen (G League - On Assignment), Chet Holmgren (Right Iliac Wing Fracture), Dillon Jones (G League - On Assignment), Ajay Mitchell ( Right Great Toe Sprain), Nikola Topic (Left Knee Surgery)
76ers injury report
Out: Joel Embiid (Left Foot Sprain), Kyle Lowry (Right Hip Sprain), Andre Drummond (Left Toe Sprain), KJ Martin (Left Foot Stress Reaction), Jared McCain (Left Knee Meniscus Surgery)
Questionable: Caleb Martin (Right Groin Soreness)
Projected starting lineups:
Oklahoma City: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein
Philadelphia: Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., Caleb Martin (if he plays), Paul George, Guerschon Yabusele
How to watch Thunder vs. 76ers
Along with local options such as Cox Communications (Ch. 37 in OKC, Ch. 27 in Tulsa), DirecTV (Ch. 675), UVerse, DirecTV Stream and Fubo, Thunder versus 76ers can be streamed on FanDuel Sports Network as well as NBA League Pass.
Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT.
Thunder's next five regular-season games
Thursday, January 16: Thunder vs. Cavaliers (6:30 p.m. CT on TNT, MAX)
Friday, January 17: Thunder at Mavericks (7:30 p.m. CT)
Sunday, January 19: Thunder vs. Nets (6:00 p.m. CT)
Wednesday, January 22: Thunder vs. Jazz (7:00 p.m. CT)
Thursday, January 23: Thunder vs. Mavericks (7:00 p.m. CT)