Oklahoma City Thunder center Nerlens Noel has passed the concussion protocol and been cleared to return for Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN's Royce Young.
Noel has missed the team's last three game with concussion symptoms since suffering a hard fall against the Minnesota Timberwolves, exiting after scoring six points and grabbing one rebound through six minutes in the outing.
Noel received an accidental elbow from a rising Andrew Wiggins, who attempted a dunk against the Thunder center during a 40-point night.
Starting center Steven Adams didn't believe there was any malice on Wiggins' part, noting it was merely unfortunate that he was knocked out while in mid-air. Noel landed awkwardly and banged his head against the hardwood, which marked the end of his short stint on the floor.
Through 39 games this season, the Kentucky product has averaged 5.1 points on a strong 59.1 percent from the field and a career-best 72.9 percent from the foul line along with 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks through 13.7 minutes per game in 2018-19.
The presence of Nerlens Noel behind Adams down low has contributed to the Thunder possessing one of the league's best defenses. Oklahoma City currently sits at 26-17 on the season, which is good for third in the ruthlessly competitive Western Conference.
Follow Us
Subscribe