The Oklahoma City Thunder still remain at the top of the Western Conference, but the defending champs have officially lost the season series to the team right behind them. The San Antonio Spurs picked up their third victory over Mark Daigneault’s team on Feb. 4, a game now mired in controversy.
However, the consequences of this game could go way beyond the Thunder’s actual result, according to an NBA Insider.
The NBA Is Investigating the Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder were missing several key players against the Spurs, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Luguentz Dort, Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Ajay Mitchell.
The absence of so many regular contributors left OKC with only eight available players, which was an unusual situation for a nationally televised matchup. Caruso was the only player out due to “injury management”, but that hasn’t quelled the league’s suspicion.
The Athletic’s Dan Woike ultimately confirmed the NBA’s investigation of the Thunder for potential violations of player participation rules.
“According to a league source, the NBA is investigating the Oklahoma City Thunder for player absences due to injury during their nationally televised game last week against the San Antonio Spurs.”
The Thunder’s Road To Repeat Title Feat Comes With Plenty of Obstacles
If the league determines the Thunder improperly listed or sat players, the most likely consequence would be a fine, potentially a sizable one depending on how many players were involved and whether rules were clearly violated.
The NBA could also issue a formal warning and require stricter compliance with injury reporting going forward. Historically, penalties have stopped short of affecting draft picks or wins unless there’s clear evidence of intentional deception.
The Thunder clearly were not tanking this game, and this roster has been hit by an injury bug recently. Most notably, Gilgeous-Alexander is expected to be out until at least after the NBA All-Star break because of the abdominal strain he suffered last Tuesday against the Orlando Magic.
Meanwhile, the race for the Western Conference No. 1 seed is starting to heat up, with the Spurs now just three and a half games behind the Thunder and holding the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Western Conference is loaded as ever, with seven teams that are nine or more games above .500.
Nonetheless, this Thunder team still has the upside to cement itself as the league’s next dynasty at full strength. But if the injuries persist, the rest of the league will continue to catch up.
