The Oklahoma City Thunder will look to build on their win over the Washington Wizards when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
The latest injury status of Ja Morant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Oklahoma City has won three of its last four games and has a chance to get back to.500 on Friday night. The Thunder went on a four-game losing streak after a win over Orlando to start the month of November, but they have since rebounded with a strong stretch of games.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 points (14-21 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 12-17 FT), grabbed six rebounds, assisted seven times, and blocked one shot in 35 minutes against Washington on Wednesday.
With 1.9 seconds remaining, Gilgeous-Alexander capped an outstanding performance with a step-back three-pointer, giving the Thunder a 121-120 lead. The 42 points were his season high, and it was the tenth time in 14 games that he had at least 30 points.
This season, the 24-year-old has made 54.8 percent of his shots, 40.0 percent of his three-point attempts, and 90.6 percent of his free throws while averaging 32.3 points per game.
Tre Mann (back) has been ruled out of Friday’s game against Memphis.
Mann will miss his third game in a row due to lower back pain. Aaron Wiggins and Jalen Williams should see increased playing time in his absence.
Darius Bazley (ankle) will miss Friday’s game against the Grizzlies.
Bazley will miss his fifth consecutive game on Friday due to a right ankle sprain. Before facing the Knicks on Monday, the Thunder will rest Bazley for two days.
Memphis started the season strong, winning nine of its first thirteen games. The Grizzlies were unable to maintain that level this week, losing on the road to Washington and New Orleans.
Desmond Bane, who was averaging 24.7 points and shooting 45.1% from beyond the arc before suffering a Grade 2 sprain of his right big toe last Friday against Minnesota, is OUT for Memphis.
Bane is expected to be out of commission for two to three weeks.
With Desmond Bane (toe) out, Ja Morant came up big again, but it wasn’t enough to keep New Orleans at bay.
Thanks in part to improved outside shooting, the fourth-year superstar has scored 30 or more points in seven of the first 13 games of the season. Morant has a career-high 40.3 percent three-point shooting percentage.
