Chet Holmgren headlines OKC’s injury report against the Grizzlies
Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder enter Monday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies on an extended injury report. After coach Marc Daigneault’s starting lineup made its regular-season debut in an NBA Cup semifinal loss to the San Antonio Spurs, he hasn’t had a healthy starting five since, which will continue in Monday’s game as center Isaiah Hartenstein is turned off. however, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is confident with the Thunder.
The reigning MVP believes his team will bounce back from a pair of losses in the last three games. The Thunder will face the Grizzlies without Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams and Usman Dieng as the big three are ruled out. Hartenstein, Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins are considered questionable for the Thunder injury report.
Lou Dort and Cason Wallace are likely to start as part of Thunder coach Marc Daigneault’s small-ball approach, which is typical when one of his starters is shut down. Amid Thunder Chet Holmgren’s questionable playing status due to lower back spasms, Daigneault would likely turn to either Kenrich Williams or Branden Karlsson to start at center.
The Grizzlies will enter the Paicom Center after a 130-122 loss to the Washington Wizards. Ja Morant is ruled out with a sprained left ankle.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t worried about the Thunder’s losses
Thunder All Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knows his team will bounce back after Friday’s 112-107 loss to the Timberwolves. While it was rare to see the 25-3 Thunder surrender two losses in one week, Gilgeous-Alexander confident in the resilience of his teamwho shone through adversity in the past.
“We’ve been here before. We won tough games on the road. We played amazing on the road and blew a team away. We’ve been in almost every situation a team can be in, especially the last few years,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Once you have that under your belt, you know how to handle situations. And we just grow with time, as we should. Use these experiences for lessons and get better from them.”
The Thunder will face the Grizzlies on the first night of a home/away back-to-back, ending against the Spurs on Tuesday.
2025-12-22 17:27:00
