Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing tonight against Philadelphia 76ers? Latest on 2-time NBA's All-Star's status (April 2)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been one big factor this season for the OKC Thunder, who go up against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. This is the second and last time the two teams battle each other this season. The first meeting happened early in the season, where the Sixers won 127-123.
The OKC Thunder are on back-to-back wins and lead the Western Conference, owning half a game lead over defending champions Denver Nuggets. According to the recent injury report of the OKC Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is ruled out of the game along with Jalen Williams to play against the Sixers.
What happened to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed two consecutive games before making a return against the New York Knicks. His quadriceps injury was first reported on Mar. 27, and team doctors are dealing with the injury with extreme precaution, as the playoffs are coming.
The former Kentucky Wildcat is going to be a game-time decision, and team doctors will check if his quadricep is good to go against the Sixers. In 74 OKC Thunder games this season, he has only missed three.
In his first game back against the Knicks, the two-time All-Star shot 43.8% of his 16 shots to end with 19 points, including a game-winning shot. He logged in 34 minutes and also provided three assists, two rebounds and a steal.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stats vs Philadelphia 76ers
The matchup between the Sixers and Thunder on Nov. 25, 2023 happened at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The Thunder lost after coming up short in their fourth-quarter comeback.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexandr was the second-leading scorer with 31 points, just two points behind Chet Holgrem who tallied 33 points. The two-time NBA All-Star also registered six rebounds, five assists and two stills.
He shot almost 50%, going 10-of-21 and perfect from the free throw line, at 10-of-10.
On the Sixers side, Joel Embiid had a strong performance with a near triple-double of 35 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. He also had four blocks and went 19-of-21 from the tree throw line. The Sixers center will be missed, as he's expected to return by mid-April.
This season, SGA is an MVP contender as well, averaging 30.3 poits, 6.3 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals in 71 games.