OKLAHOMA CITY –<\/p>\n
The last of five regular-season match ups between the Thunder and Spurs took place last week in San Antonio. Anticipation for the game dropped earlier that day when the Thunder announced MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would be sidelined until after the All-Star break with an abdominal injury. The absence of SGA flipped the odds for the game and then it was announced that multiple other key contributors for OKC had been ruled out after playing the night before against the Orlando Magic. <\/p>\n
\n Thunder players ruled out vs. Spurs:<\/p>\n
Alex Caruso \u2014 Right adductor; injury managementOusmane Dieng \u2014 Not with team (traded)Luguentz Dort \u2014 Right patellofemoral joint; inflammationShai Gilgeous-Alexander \u2014 Abdominal strainIsaiah Hartenstein \u2014 Right eye; corneal abrasionChet Holmgren \u2014 Low back spasmsAjay Mitchell \u2014 Abdominal strainJalen Williams \u2014 Right hamstring strain<\/p>\n
That meant just eight roster players were available for the nationally-televised game on ESPN that night. Now, the league has announced an investigation into the OKC Thunder for those player absences. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s according to Dan Woike, a Los Angeles Lakers reporter for The Athletic. <\/p>\n
According to a league source, the NBA is investigating the Oklahoma City Thunder for player absences due to injury during their nationally televised game last week against the San Antonio Spurs.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) February 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The investigation is unlikely to result in discipline, based on the nature of the reported injuries and the length of time several players have already missed. <\/p>\n SGA will be out until at least after the All-Star game, not a simple one-off to avoid the Spurs. Jalen Williams is making his return for the first time since Jan. 17, a hamstring injury that sidelined him for 10 games. <\/p>\n Coming off a back-to-back the night before also left some contributors injured, including the eye injury to Hartenstein, the abdominal strain to Mitchell which has kept him out multiple games, not just against the Spurs, and Holmgren from back spasms. <\/p>\n So in short, this is not a Greg Popovich-era level of rest management that led the league to this point in the first place. This was the first-place team in the West dealing with an injury bug that has plagued it all season.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the NBA is dealing with never-before-seen tanking with over 30 games left on the schedule. The Utah Jazz, who traded for former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies, have started both players before benching them simply to tank and lose the game, which happened just last weekend against the Magic. <\/p>\n Last year, the league investigated OKC for the same reason after all five of the Thunder\u2019s starters sat against the Portland Trail Blazers in a March match up at the Paycom Center. Even without the starters, OKC won 107-89 behind Aaron Wiggins\u2019 30 points and Jaylin Williams\u2019 first career triple-double. <\/a> A fine was not assessed to the team. <\/p>\n \n What triggers an NBA load management investigation?<\/p>\n