The second half officially kicks off on Thursday for the OKC Thunder as they prepare for a tough matchup at home against the NBA-best Phoenix Suns. The Thunder have been without their franchise star Shai-Gilgeous Alexander for 10 games due to an ankle sprain. That being said, is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing vs Suns?

Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Playing vs Suns

The short answer is yes, SGA will finally return to the lineup here, which is a huge boost to the slumping Thunder. The Canadian guard hasn't played since January 28th against the Indiana Pacers, where OKC ultimately lost a nailbiter in OT.

Gilgeous-Alexander is enjoying yet another fine season, leading the Thunder with a team-high 22.7 points per game to go along with 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds. While Josh Giddey has been holding it down from a playmaking standpoint, it will be refreshing for the Thunder to get one of their best scorers and facilitators back in the mix.

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Also, SGA's usage is the highest on OKC at almost 30% per night. He gets a lot of touches and will certainly be a focal point against the Suns. Essentially, Gilgeous-Alexander rolled his right ankle in that contest vs. Indiana and couldn't return. He's spent the last month rehabbing and even teased his return over the All-Star break with this post:

Thunder fans will undoubtedly be excited to see SGA on the court again. While Oklahoma City is nowhere near contention, he is their franchise cornerstone and a key piece of the offense every single night. Head coach Mark Daigneault could put him on a minutes restriction initially just to be cautious. Before he went on the shelf, Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 25+ in three straight games. Let's hope he can find that brilliance once again.

So to answer the question, is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing tonight? The answer is yes, he will be taking the floor.