The last week has been brutal with regards to star absences in the NBA, as just over a month into the season some big names have gone on the shelf. Damian Lillard is out for a week-plus to try and get his lingering abdominal tendinopathy right, while LeBron James is out in COVID-19 protocols, Devin Booker will miss time with a hamstring injury, and Bam Adebayo will have thumb surgery that could cost him more than a month of court time.
The rash of star injuries unfortunately continued on Wednesday night, with Karl-Anthony Towns leaving late in Minnesota’s loss to Washington after a scary fall after a dunk, and Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss Thursday night’s game against Memphis at minimum after entering concussion protocol after two late fouls he took late in a loss to Houston on Wednesday.
The Oklahoma City Thunder announced today that guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sustained a concussion following two common fouls late in the fourth quarter (1:29 and 1:13 marks) of yesterday’s game against the Houston Rockets and he has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s return to the OKC lineup will be determined by when he can clear the various steps and tests of the league’s protocols. After Thursday night’s game with the Grizzlies, the Thunder are off until Monday against Detroit when, hopefully, Gilgeous-Alexander can be back, but caution with head injuries is always of utmost importance.
