The Oklahoma City Thunder had an impressive first quarter against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night that saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander outscore the Dubs by himself, but it was not without a setback. Alex Caruso went down with an ankle injury that forced him back to the locker room.
OKC traded for Caruso to give them an elite perimeter defender in the playoffs. The 6’5 wing is playing under 20 minutes per game on this loaded roster, but his importance will grow when the games matter most. That is what made his injury on Wednesday evening so disappointing.
Here is a look at what we know about his ankle and all the latest updates.
Alex Caruso suffers ankle injury against the Warriors
Caruso exited the game with 2:39 remaining in the first quarter and immediately went back to the locker room. He had not even played 30 seconds before the injury, and things did not look good immediately.
The 6’5 wing was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game with a left ankle sprain.
This is already his fourth injury of the season. Caruso just missed ten games with a hip issue and has played in just 28 of the Thunder’s first 46 games this season. It has been injuries to both hips that held him out, which makes another lower body injury a significant concern for Thunder fans.
Oklahoma City has plenty of depth. Cason Wallace may play a few more minutes with Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, Kenrich Williams, and Ousman Dieng getting additional run off the bench. Head coach Mark Daigneault may even go deeper into his reserves for spot minutes. The Thunder have the deepest roster in the league and can withstand an injury at virtually any position.
None of that takes away from the sting of seeing Caruso go down. He played in seven straight and was ramping up his minutes before the latest injury. There is no word yet on the severity or how much time Caruso will be forced to miss.
This is not how Sam Presti and the OKC brain trust envisioned things when they traded Josh Giddey for Caruso this offseason. The 30-year-old played 71 games last season, but is no stranger to missing time. Thunder fans are left hoping for the best. Being ruled out quickly is never positive. Hopefully, it is just a few game absence, but keep checking back for all the latest.