Questions raised after investigation opens into Thunder injury listing 10 players in one game
The Oklahoma City Thunder are reportedly under investigation after placing 10 players on the injury list for the game against the Spurs.
A ten-metre wide fissure filled with controversy has carved through the NBA this week after league sources told The Athletic it is looking into a curious situation involving the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder that has raised a number of eyebrows across the division.
The focus is a February 4 fixture against the San Antonio Spurs during which the Thunder listed 10 players as unavailable due to injury, including multiple All-Stars, in a nationally televised matchup on ESPN.
The unusual absence of so many key contributors immediately drew worry from Thunder fans before it attracted attention from fans of other teams, then media outlets and league officials alike.
According to reporting from The Athletic’s Dan Woike, league rules require teams to make reasonable efforts to ensure star players - that’s anyone who has been named to an All-Star or All-NBA team during the past three seasons - are available for nationally broadcast contests and in-season showcase games, especially when significant fan interest is expected.
Here is the Thunder Feb. 4 injury list:
Alex Caruso (right adductor strain)
Ousmane Dieng (not with team)
Lugentz Dort (right patellofemoral joint, inflammation)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain)
Isaiah Hartenstein (right eye, corneal abrasion)
Chet Holmgren (low back spasms)
Ajay Mitchell (abdominal strain)
Thomas Sorber (right ACL, surgical recovery)
Nikola Topić (surgical recovery)
Jalen Williams (right hamstring strain)
That provision is in place to protect the competitive integrity of the NBA, maintain its product for fans in the stadium and watching on TV, and prevent any team from effectively resting its top roster en masse in what should be a high-profile contest. Critics have questioned whether Oklahoma City’s decision to rule out so many players violated the spirit, if not the letter, of that policy.
The official league investigation centres on whether the Thunder misused injury designations; multiple players who reportedly sat out against San Antonio logged minutes in games both before and after that contest, leading some NBA observers to speculate that the injuries could have been managed with selective load-management rather than full absence.
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Oklahoma City ended up losing the game 116–108 with a heavily depleted roster. However, they still sit atop the league standings with a strong overall record, even if recent form has been uneven, going 5–5 over the last ten games. If violations are found, the team could face hefty financial penalties under NBA rules, from a six-figure fine for a first offence to more significant sanctions if further infractions occur.
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