The Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers will go head-to-head on Tuesday night. The big story for the game is the possible return of 76ers star Joel Embiid. The Thunder are dealing with injury concerns of their own, however, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams both listed as questionable for the game, per the NBA Injury Report.
Gilgeous-Alexander is battling a right quad contusion. He was able to return and play in Sunday's 113-112 victory over the New York Knicks. Williams, meanwhile, is dealing with a right ankle sprain.
Shai is right in the middle of the 2023-24 NBA MVP conversation. He has been phenomenal for Oklahoma City, averaging 30.3 points per game on 53.9 percent field goal and 36.5 percent three-point shooting. The Thunder superstar is also averaging 5.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and a league-leading 2.1 steals per outing.
Williams' impact on the Thunder should not be overlooked. At 6'5, he is a versatile player who has helped the Thunder in multiple different areas. Williams is averaging 19.5 points per outing on 54 percent field goal and 43.1 percent three-point shooting. Williams has also recorded averages of 4.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
The primary goal for the Thunder is to get fully healthy for the 2023-24 NBA playoffs. With that being said, Oklahoma City is in the middle of a tight Western Conference playoff race atop the standings as they battle the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 1 seed.
Thunder looking to clinch No. 1 seed in Western Conference
The Thunder will need all hands on deck to finish the regular season as they narrowly hold onto their lead in the West. Denver is just a half-game behind Oklahoma City, while Minnesota is one game back as of this story's writing.
The winner of the Western Conference probably will not be decided until the final game or two of the regular season. The Thunder, Nuggets, and Timberwolves have all held strong over the past few weeks.
In the end, each one of these teams is going to make the playoffs. Barring a complete collapse, the worst each one of these teams will finish is No. 3 in the Western Conference, which is not all that bad.
Still, earning that No. 1 spot would obviously be beneficial in the playoffs without question. Again, though, the Thunder are still going to proceed with caution in reference to their injury concerns. It is not as if they are preparing to play in Game 7 of a playoff series right now.
Oklahoma City will provide further updates on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams on Tuesday. We will monitor and provide updates on both players' injury statuses as they are made available. Tip-off for Tuesday's Thunder-76ers clash is scheduled for 7:30 PM EST in Philadelphia.
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