Tag: Injury Update

Dennis Schroder out Sunday due to ankle soreness

Schroder will miss his first game of the season Sunday due to right ankle soreness. He is averaging 23.3 points over his last ten games.

Ankle soreness seems to be a common problem in Oklahoma City these days.

Dennis Schroder is the latest member of the Thunder to be sidelined due to the injury.

Following OKC’s 104-102 overtime win in Charlotte on Friday night, the team announced Saturday that Schroder was suffering from right ankle soreness and would not play on Sunday in Toronto.

Schroder scored 24 points in the win over the Hornets, hitting on 10 of his 17 shots from the field, including three 3-pointers.

Over his last ten games, Schroder is averaging 23.2 points per game and shooting 49.7% from the field.

Sunday’s game will be the first that he has missed all season.

Danilo Gallinari has also been struggling with ankle soreness that has kept him out for the last week. Gallinari initially suffered the injury to his left ankle during warmups prior to OKC’s win over the Clippers on Dec. 22.

He did not come with the Thunder on their current road trip, a move Billy Donovan called “precautionary”.

Oklahoma City tips off against the Raptors at 5 p.m. CT.

Zion Williamson is finally dunking again

He’s (almost) baaaaaaack.

It’s been a long time since we last saw Zion Williamson do anything notable while holding a basketball.

He last played in October during the preseason before the Pelicans held him out with a knee injury that, eventually, required surgery to fix.

He was due to be out six to eight weeks after meniscus surgery, but we’re well outside of that window now. The Pelicans are currently working on his kinetic chain to reduce wear and tear on his body.

It looks like all of that rehab is finally starting to pay off,. Williamson was spotted on the practice court for the Pelicans a couple of weeks ago.  On Saturday night, ahead of the Pelicans’ game against the Pacers, the number one pick was spotted dunking again.

And not JUST dunking — throwing down powerful one handed jams.

There was also this one with his right hand.

The Pelicans aren’t putting a date on his return but, hopefully, Williamson could be throwing down in an actual game soon enough. If these dunks are any indication, he’s feeling good.

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Thunder’s win streak snapped as Memphis tops OKC 110-97

Oklahoma City shot just 41.3% from the field and 28.6% from three as the Grizzlies dominated the Thunder from start to finish.

There was no comeback against the Grizzlies this time.

Memphis ended the Thunder’s four-game winning streak with a 110-97 win inside Chesapeake Energy Arena on Thursday night.

After getting off to a slow start, the Thunder cut the halftime deficit to two thanks to an 11-5 run over the last 2:20 of the second quarter. But the third-quarter issues that have plagued Oklahoma City all year long popped up again as the Grizzlies outscored OKC 37-27 in the frame.

Memphis built their lead to as many as 20 in the fourth quarter, going up 96-76 on a Jonas Valanciunas layup with 9:10 left to play.

The Grizzlies shot nearly 55% from the floor, hitting on 46 of their 84 shots from the field. Memphis also hit on 40% of their shots from beyond the arc.

In comparison, Oklahoma City shot just 41.3% from the field and 28.6% from three.

Chris Paul led the way for the Thunder, posting a double-double with a game-high 23 points to go along with 11 assists. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 21 while Dennis Schroder added 20.

Oklahoma City missed the presence of Danilo Gallinari in the lineup. Gallo missed Thursday’s game with left ankle soreness. Billy Donovan announced that Gallinari will not be making the trip to Charlotte and Toronto with the team as a “precautionary measure”.

Darius Bazley, who got the start once again in the place of Gallinari, scored three points.

Oklahoma City has a quick turnaround. The Thunder will back the second game of a back-to-back in Charlotte on Friday night.

OKC and the Hornets tip-off at 6 p.m. CT.

Gallinari will not travel with Thunder on upcoming road trip

Billy Donovan announced that Gallinari will miss OKC’s games in Charlotte and Toronto with ankle soreness, calling the move “precautionary”.

Danilo Gallinari’s sore left ankle will cause him to miss more games than originally anticipated.

After being ruled out of the Thunder’s game against Memphis on Thursday, Billy Donovan told reporters later in the afternoon that Gallinari will not be going on Oklahoma City’s upcoming road trip.

“As long as the season is and what we have coming, the most important thing is we want him to get to where he’s feeling better.”

As noted by Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, Donovan described the move as “precautionary”.

Gallinari initially experienced left ankle soreness during pregame on Sunday prior to Oklahoma City’s game against the Clippers. He was listed as questionable but did not play in the Thunder’s 118-112 win.

Darius Bazley got the second start of his career in place of Gallinari. Donovan also addressed the opportunity that Gallo’s injury provides for Bazley.

“He’s gonna have to go through some of this stuff in order to learn, grow. There’s going to be some ups and downs but the biggest thing for me is he’s competing and playing with really good energy and motor.”

Bazley scored seven points and grabbed eight rebounds against the Clippers.

He will also start Thursday against the Grizzlies.

Danilo Gallinari out Thursday against Grizzlies with ankle soreness

The Thunder announced Thursday morning that Gallinari would miss their game against Memphis due to left ankle soreness.

Oklahoma City will be without Danilo Gallinari on Thursday night against the Grizzlies.

Erik Horne of The Athletic tweeted the update on Thursday morning.

Gallinari missed the Thunder’s win over the Clippers on Sunday after experiencing ankle soreness during pregame. He was listed as questionable but did not play.

Darius Bazley made his second-career start in place of Gallinari, scoring seven points, grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing out two assists in 25 minutes of game time.

The Thunder have not announced if Bazley will also start against the Grizzlies.

If Billy Donovan decides not to go with Bazley in the starting five, another option would certainly be Dennis Schroder.

The reigning Western Conference Player of the Week averaged 25.3 points, 5.3 assists, and six rebounds in Oklahoma City’s four wins last week, scoring less than 20 points only once.

The Thunder’s 24-point comeback win over the Grizzlies on December 18 was led by Schroder’s 31 points. In that game, Schroder hit on 10-of-19 from the field and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line.

Danilo Gallinari questionable against Clippers, Darius Bazley to start

Gallinari experienced soreness in his left ankle during pregame Sunday and was removed from the starting lineup. He is questionable to play.

Oklahoma City will be without one of their biggest offensive weapons on Sunday night when they host the Clippers.

Just prior to tip-off, it was announced that Danilo Gallinari is out of the starting lineup and questionable to play against Los Angeles.

Per Erik Horne of The Athletic, Gallinari experienced soreness in his left ankle during pregame, causing him to be scratched from the starting lineup.

Darius Bazley was announced as Galliari’s replacement in the Thunder’s starting five.

Gallinari is averaging 18.0 points per game while shooting 43.2% from the field. He’s also hitting on 39.5% of his three-point attempts.

If Gallinari does not play on Sunday, where his loss could be felt the most is at the free-throw line. Gallo is one of the best in the NBA, making 90.3% of his attempts at the charity stripe. The Thunder’s loss to the Clippers in November was by just two points, and a free throw here or there could end up making a difference in the outcome.

By comparison, Bazley is averaging just 3.8 points while shooting 36.2% from the field, playing just 16.4 minutes per game.

Sunday’s start against the Clippers is only the second of Bazley’s career.

Kahwi Leonard out Sunday at Oklahoma City

Kawhi Leonard will not play against the Thunder on Sunday. He’s listed as out due to injury management for left knee soreness.

The Thunder has yet to face the man that asked Paul George to leave Oklahoma City and join him in Los Angeles.

And they’re not going to get the chance on Sunday, either.

Kawhi Leonard will miss the Clippers’ game against OKC on Sunday evening. He’s listed as out due to injury/injury management as he deals with lingering left knee issues that have carried over from last year.

Leonard did not play in the first meeting between the two teams in Los Angeles back on November 18. The Clippers won that game 90-88 thanks to a Paul George 3-pointer with 25.9 seconds left to play.

To be honest, it’s not a surprise that Leonard is sitting out Sunday’s game against OKC. According to ESPN, he hasn’t played in both ends of a back-to-back since April 2017.

Leonard only played in 60 regular-season games for the Raptors last season. He may not have invented load management, but Kawhi Leonard has it down to a tee.

And his absence in Oklahoma City means that George is going to have to shoulder most of the load against the Thunder.

It’s not just the scoring burden that George is going to have to deal with. Sunday will be the first time that George has returned to Oklahoma City since requesting a trade to the Clippers last July.

His request was the catalyst for an offseason of change in OKC. Shortly after George left for Los Angeles, the Thunder traded their other star, Russell Westbrook, to Houston for Chris Paul and multiple draft picks.

Though George wasn’t in Oklahoma City as long as Westbrook, there’s still reason to believe that Sunday could be emotional for the former Thunder star. It also remains to be seen how fans inside Chesapeake Energy Arena will great the player that they once thought could help them win that elusive NBA Championship.

The Clippers and Thunder will tip-off at 6 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on NBATV.

Hamidou Diallo progressing on schedule to return from right elbow injury

Monday is the four-week mark since Diallo suffered a hyperextended right elbow. Per Billy Donovan, he is on track without any setbacks.

Good news for Thunder fans.

Hamidou Diallo is on schedule to return from the hyperextended right elbow that he suffered at the end of November in a game against the Lakers.

The initial timeframe was for Diallo to be re-evaluated in four-to-six weeks. With that four-week mark coming up on Monday, Thunder head coach Billy Donovan told reporters, including Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, that Diallo in on-track without any setbacks.

“I think he’s feeling good,” Donovan said Saturday. “The biggest thing I think he’s trying to do is keep himself in shape. I think that first part was a little bit difficult for him to really be able to do much because his arm was in a sling. But now that he’s got it out and he’s got the ability to run and move and use his right hand some, and use his right arm some, that’s been a good thing.”

In a video that Lee posted on Twitter, Diallo has his elbow encased in a black compression sleeve, driving to the basket and putting up a short-range jumper with his right hand.

Lee also noted that the medical staff is monitoring the number of shots that Diallo is taking and from where.

Oklahoma City is back in action on Sunday when they host Paul George and the Clippers.

First injury report for Chargers ahead of matchup vs. Jaguars

The Chargers had their first practice ahead of their Week 14 matchup against the Jaguars.

Following a heartbreaking loss to the Denver Broncos, the Los Angeles Chargers returned to work to get ready for their Week 14 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Here is a look at Wednesday’s injury report:

Linebacker Nick Dzubnar and wide receiver Mike Williams were the only two who were held in a limited capacity at practice today. It’s a promising sign to see that the team is mostly healthy before the final stretch of the regular season.

Here is a look at the Jaguars’ injury report:

Key players — wide receiver Dede Westbrook, linebacker Myles Jack and defensive end Calais Campbell did not practice today.

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Cowboys’ Connor Williams exits, backup immediately shows why he’s one

Dallas Cowboys guard Connor Williams suffers injury in the second quarter of the Thanksgiving match-up with the Buffalo Bills.

Dallas Cowboys second year guard Connor Williams has been helped off the field with just over four minutes left in the first half.

The injury took place on a run by Ezekiel Elliott where Williams had his legs rolled up on by fellow offensive lineman Zack Martin.

Williams returned to action last week after missing a game due to a knee injury that required surgery. His replacement, guard Xavier Su’a-Filo, allowed a sack that resulted in a fumble by quarterback Dak Prescott just two plays later.

The score remains tied at seven but Prescott and the Cowboys have turned the ball over twice.

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