The Oklahoma City Thunder are running thin at the worst possible moment. With the Western Conference Finals deadlocked at 2-2 and the defending champions reeling from a lopsided road loss, the availability of their rotation has become a bigger storyline.
As the Thunder head to Game 5, Ajay Mitchell’s availability has fans anxious.
Here’s the latest on guard Mitchell’s status ahead of a must-watch night at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Is Ajay Mitchell Playing in Game 5 Against the Spurs?
Mitchell is dealing with a strained right soleus, the calf muscle he injured in the third quarter of Game 3, and sat out Sunday’s Game 4 loss because of it.
Mitchell will not suit up in Game 5, as per OKC’s injury report, which rules him out for tonight, leaving him to watch a pivotal WCF game from the bench for the second straight time.
The timing of the injury could hardly be worse for OKC, as they enter Tuesday’s game with the best-of-seven series at 2 apiece. They got blown out 103-82 in Game 4 at San Antonio.
Mitchell had become a genuine difference-maker for OKC. Across 11 playoff games, he is averaging 15.1 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals while shooting 46% from the field.
He was the breakout star of the second round against the Los Angeles Lakers, pouring in 22.5 points and 6.0 assists during that sweep.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Mitchell has been managing calf tightness throughout the postseason, and the Game 3 strain was the moment it finally caught up with him. The Thunder are evaluating his soft-tissue injury day by day to prevent long-term reaggravation.
Mitchell isn’t the only concern. Jalen Williams is also on the injury report, listed as questionable for Game 5 as the Thunder manages his troublesome left hamstring.
Williams sat out Game 4 entirely and is now at risk of missing a third consecutive game, though the news on him is more encouraging than it is for Mitchell.
Charania reported that Williams has been ramping up his on-court work and doing progressively more, suggesting a return could be near.
The hamstring has been troubling Williams for months, costing him two games against Phoenix, the entire second-round sweep of the Lakers, and most of his minutes since he reaggravated it in Game 2 against the Spurs.
The Thunder have sorely missed his scoring and playmaking, with Williams averaging 17.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists across the playoffs this season.
San Antonio, in contrast, walks into Game 5 healthy with a clean injury report, even as guards De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper continue to play through ankle and groin issues, respectively.
Victor Wembanyama powered the Game 4 rout with 33 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks. A win on Tuesday will put San Antonio just one step away from its first NBA Finals appearance since 2014.
