The Minnesota Timberwolves are Western Conference Finalists for the second year in a row. But who’ll join them? We could get the answer to that question tonight, as the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Denver Nuggets for Game 6 of their Playoff series. MVP candidates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic turned up the heat in the last game. Ultimately, it was the Thunder who came away with a narrow yet convincing 7-point lead. But can they do it again and punch their ticket to the Western Conference Final?
Well, they’ll need Shai firing on all cylinders to knock the Nuggets and the Serbian sensation out of the Playoffs. So let’s check their injury report to see what it says.
Oklahoma City Thunder Injury Report – Will Shai Gilgeous-Alexander play tonight?
Shai scored 31 points and dished out 7 dimes to help the Thunder to victory in Game 5. And the frontrunner for this year’s MVP doesn’t look like he’s in any mood to slow down anytime soon. And that’s why it’s a relief that there are no reports of the Canadian guard getting injured.
In that vein, he is NOT listed on the Thunder’s injury report for Game 6. That means Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is AVAILABLE to play in the Thunder’s upcoming game. This is a huge relief for the West’s top seed in this series against the Nuggets. But that doesn’t mean they’ve turned in a clean injury report for Game 6.
Oklahoma Thunder at Orlando Magic, Orlando, Florida, USA Orlando, Florida, USA, December 19, 2024, Oklahoma Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2 at the Kia Center. Photo by Marty Jean-Louis/Sipa USA NOxUSExINxGERMANY PUBLICATIONxINxALGxARGxAUTxBRNxBRAxCANxCHIxCHNxCOLxECUxEGYxGRExINDxIRIxIRQxISRxJORxKUWxLIBxLBAxMLTxMEXxMARxOMAxPERxQATxKSAxSUIxSYRxTUNxTURxUAExUKxVENxYEMxONLY Copyright: xMartyxJean-Louisx Editorial use only
The Thunder actually have only one player on their injury report tonight: Nikola Topic. The 6-foot-6 playmaker suffered a partial tear in his ACL before he was picked as the 12th overall pick by OKC. Owing to this injury, Topic is yet to make his Thunder debut. And it’s unlikely Mike Daigneault will play him in such a high-stakes game against the Nuggets. So Topic is OUT of Game 6.
But that’s it for the Thunder’s injuries. Pretty good considering how deep we are into the postseason. So let’s see who Coach Mike might pick as his starting lineup against Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
Oklahoma City Thunder – predicted starting lineup and depth chart
Without question, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be starting against the Nuggets tonight. And given the Thunder have only one injured player, and he’s not a part of their key rotation, Mark Daigneault will have quite an easy time naming his squad. Here’s who we think will join Shai in the starting lineup.
POSITION
STARTER
2nd UNIT
3rd UNIT
PG
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Cason Wallace
Ajay Mitchell
SG
Lu Dort
Alex Caruso
Cason Wallace
SF
Jalen Williams
Isaiah Joe
Aaron Wiggins
PF
Chet Holmgren
Aaron Wiggins
Jalen Williams
C
Isaiah Hartenstein
Jaylin Williams
Chet Holmgren
In their last 2 games, which the Thunder won, they scored a combined 63 points in the final quarter. The Nuggets? They scored 37 at the same time. So, unsurprisingly, another strong finish is the key to victory for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Nikola Jokic may have finally cracked their defense. But that means nothing when the Thunder are able to keep every other player (with the exception of Jamal Murray) quiet for most of the game. And if they can do that tonight… a date with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals awaits.
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