OKLAHOMA CITY –<\/p>\n
The NBA All-Star break is over, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are preparing for the second half of the season with key injury questions and a tight Western Conference race ahead.<\/p>\n
\n When will Shai Gilgeous-Alexander return?<\/p>\n
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been sidelined with an abdominal strain for two weeks. Thunder analyst Steve McGehee expects Gilgeous-Alexander to return Friday when Oklahoma City hosts the Brooklyn Nets.<\/p>\n
Gilgeous-Alexander appeared fatigued prior to the injury and has used the break to rest ahead of the final stretch of the season.<\/p>\n
Jalen Williams\u2019 return timeline is less certain. Jalen Williams is recovering from a hamstring injury, and the team is expected to be cautious given the risk of re-injury. Hamstring injuries often vary in recovery time, and rushing him back could impact playoff availability.<\/p>\n
The Thunder are also awaiting the return of A.J. Mitchell, who has missed 11 consecutive games. Depth will be critical as the team positions itself for postseason play.<\/p>\n
\n Who has been the most available Thunder player?<\/p>\n
Despite multiple injuries across the roster, Cason Wallace has played the most games this season with 53 appearances. Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren have each played 49 games.<\/p>\n
Availability has been a key storyline for Oklahoma City as it navigates the Western Conference race.<\/p>\n
\n Can the Thunder hold onto the No. 1 seed?<\/p>\n
Oklahoma City enters the second half with a three-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs.<\/p>\n
The upcoming schedule includes matchups against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons, while later games against the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks could impact seeding.<\/p>\n
While securing the No. 1 seed is not considered mandatory for postseason success, home-court advantage proved valuable in last year\u2019s playoffs.<\/p>\n
\n Who is Oklahoma City\u2019s biggest threat in the West?<\/p>\n
Among Western Conference contenders, the Denver Nuggets are viewed as the most significant threat, according to Steve. <\/p>\n
Denver\u2019s playoff experience and championship pedigree present a challenge. The two teams are scheduled to meet three more times before the postseason, adding weight to those matchups.<\/p>\n
Other contenders include the Spurs, Timberwolves and Lakers, but experience may ultimately play a deciding role in the race to the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n
\n What\u2019s next<\/p>\n
The Thunder return to action Friday night against the Brooklyn Nets. The game will air locally on News 9 and News On 6 at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n
With key players nearing return and playoff positioning on the line, the second half of the season could determine whether Oklahoma City makes another deep postseason run.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"OKLAHOMA CITY – The NBA All-Star break is over, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are preparing for the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":606889,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[7,6,11],"class_list":{"0":"post-606931","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba-playoffs","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-nba-playoffs"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116082384835228961","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=606931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/606889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=606931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=606931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=606931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}