The Thunder won’t be the only one with a player returning to action after injury Wednesday night in Sacramento.
Marvin Bagley III is expected to play against Oklahoma City after missing the last 22 games following a non-displaced thumb fracture that he suffered in the Kings’ season-opening loss to the Suns.
In that game, Bagley recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes.
The second-overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft averaged 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds a game last year.
Bagley won’t be back in the starting lineup on Wednesday. Kings coach Luke Walton told the media that Bagley will come off the bench and that the staff will “keep an eye on his conditioning”. Per Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, Walton said that Bagley III will not be on a minutes restriction.
Bagley will come off the bench. “We’ll keep an eye on his conditioning,” Walton said, but he doesn’t have a strict minutes restriction. https://t.co/AunY6uE8EI
— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) December 12, 2019
The Thunder come into Wednesday night on their first three-game winning streak of the season and won five of their last six.
The Kings have won back-to-back games over Dallas and Houston after a stretch in which they lost five-of-six.
Danilo Gallinari will return for the Thunder on Wednesday after missing Monday’s win over the Jazz with an ankle injury.
ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gives Sacramento a 56.6% chance to win.