Easter Bolts: Get Well Soon SGA

Battling for the number 1 seed in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder need every win they can get. Wins are harder to come by when your MVP candidate is hobbled or sidelined with an injury. But that's what the Thunder have been facing lately, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is nursing a quad injury suffered on March 20. SGA has missed the last two games, a loss against the Houston Rockets and a blowout win over the Phoenix Suns.

Shai is listed as doubtful for today's game against the New York Knicks.


Off the court, SGA and Chet Holmgren appeared in an ad for AT&T. Go behind the scenes.


When healthy, SGA is one of the most prolific scorers in the league. This season, he's scored 30 points against every team in the NBA except two: Milwaukee and Toronto.

SGA approaching 30+ points against every NBA team this season
Toronto and Milwaukee are the only teams Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has yet to score 30 points against this season.

OKC is a legit contender with a real shot at finishing with the best record in the Western Conference. But it wasn't supposed to be this way.

OKC has all the markings of a legit contender. It has an MVP-level superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who can create offense across the full spectrum of convention, another isolation beast in Jalen Williams, a stretch five in Chet Holmgren, who's also an elite rim protector and two perimeter defensive bricks in Williams and Lu Dort, shooting across the board. Cohesion, confidence and two-way versatility are all present ... shall I go on?
Ranking NBA’s five biggest overachievers: Thunder, Wolves among teams who weren’t supposed to be this good
These five teams have surprised the league this season

Players have come and gone. Coaches have come and gone. Even play-by-play guys on TV have come and gone. Matt Pinto, the voice of the Thunder, has stayed.

Mussatto: How Matt Pinto, Mr. 3,000, prepares for OKC Thunder radio play-by-play job
Thunder radio play-by-play man Matt Pinto is maniacal in his preparation.

I've watched this dunk probably 500 times, and I could watch it 500 times more.


Chip Englland. As advertised.

How Luguentz Dort fixed his ‘shot diet’ to add another layer to OKC Thunder’s offense
OKC Thunder wing Lu Dort seemingly hadn’t given much thought to his shot selection in his early seasons.

Ben Rohrbach (Yahoo Sports) asks whether the Thunder need playoff experience to actually a win a title. Spoiler alert: Rohrbach says yes.

NBA Fact or Fiction: Can the Thunder win it all without playoff scars?
Most NBA champions develop playoff scars before finally breaking through. What does that mean for a young OKC squad this year?

Via Inside the Thunder, Kevin Durant says from what he can see, the Thunder will be "just fine" in the playoffs without having a ton of playoff experience.

Kevin Durant Believes in Young OKC Thunder Ahead of the NBA Playoffs
The Oklahoma City Thunder lack experience heading into the playoffs, but that doesn’t worry former franchise legend Kevin Durant.