:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68958216/1231621542.0.jpg)
Oklahoma City Thunder G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and PF Darius Bazley have been ruled out for Saturday afternoon’s game vs. the New York Knicks. SGA is dealing with a quad injury and Bazley has a shoulder injury. This is the second straight game after the break the Thunder will be without Bazley. Hamidou Diallo will also remain sidelined due to a groin injury.
The Thunder were without Bazley and Diallo on Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks and managed to pick up another win. Dallas was without Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, so there’s a bit of an asterisk there. With SGA and Bazley sidelined, we should see rookie Aleksej Pokusevski and (most likely) Kenrich Williams end up starting. Poku had a solid outing in his first NBA start, scoring 14 points with 8 boards and 3 assists in 30 minutes.
Theo Maledon should shift over the PG and be the primary ball-handler with SGA sidelined. He’ll be a strong value option on DraftKings along with Williams and Pokusevski depending on the pricing. The Knicks are a tough defensive team, so the under will likely be the lean if the total is a bit high.