Thunder’s Ajay Mitchell Set To Return After 20-Game Absence
The defending champion Thunder will get one of their key reserves back on Monday.
Ajay Mitchell will suit up for Oklahoma City’s game against Denver, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets. Mitchell has missed the last 20 games due to an abdominal strain and sprained ankle. The 6’4″ shooting guard, who hasn’t played since Jan. 21, is no longer listed on the team’s injury report.
The 2024 second-round pick established a rotation role prior to the injuries. In 43 appearances, including nine starts, Mitchell averaged 14.1 points, 3.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 26.3 minutes per game. He was also a defensive factor, averaging 1.4 steals per night, and was shooting a solid 48.7 percent from the field (35 percent on three-point tries).
With Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe, Alex Caruso and the trade-deadline addition of Jared McCain, the Thunder already had impressive depth at the guard and wing spots. Mitchell will probably play fewer minutes than he did earlier in the season, though he proved to be a reliable backup for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after appearing in just 36 games as a rookie.
The Thunder still have a lengthy injury report for their matchup with the Nuggets, beat writer Rylan Stiles tweets. Isaiah Hartenstein will miss his second straight game due to a calf injury and starting forward Jalen Williams remains out due to a hamstring strain. Caruso (hip) and Chet Holmgren (flu) are listed as questionable.
Northwest Notes: Anderson, Jazz, Dundon, Caruso, Hartenstein
It’s rare for a player added on the buyout market to make a significant impact on his new team, but the Timberwolves believe Kyle Anderson is capable of doing just that, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Besides the fact that the 32-year-old is very familiar with the Wolves, whom he played for from 2022-24, the team also has a need for a versatile wing like Anderson, according to head coach Chris Finch.
“We’re very comfortable, I think, in what he can do and how he fits into us,” Finch said. “We need more connectors, more play-makers. We’ll put the ball in his hands. We’ll treat him like a point guard. Defensively, he gives us versatility, switching, intelligence. He’s a great quarterback of the defense.”
Anderson left Minnesota in free agency in 2024 with the Wolves facing a cap crunch. He received a three-year, $27MM deal from Golden State that his former team likely wasn’t in position to offer, but his time with the Warriors didn’t last long. Anderson was traded from Golden State to Miami to Utah to Memphis in the past two seasons, and after being let go by the Grizzlies, he jumped at the chance to rejoin the Wolves.
“With Kyle, it feels good that A) he had such a great experience here, B) he went on and was rewarded for that experience financially, which we always root for, and C) he wanted to come back because he enjoyed being here, and his family enjoyed being here,” Finch said. “The circle is complete in that regard, and hopefully we can all benefit from it in these last 20 games and in the playoffs.”
We have more from around the Northwest:
- Anderson, who appeared in 20 games with the Jazz this season before being dealt to Memphis, admitted he didn’t love playing for a team that was more focused on preserving its top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick than making the playoffs. “I had a lot of fun in the organization and everybody in the organization was awesome,” Anderson said (Twitter video link via Andrew Dukowitz of Zone Coverage). “Obviously, playing not to win (a championship) is tricky and tough, and I didn’t enjoy it personally, but the staff and the players, I loved the players… the people in the organization were awesome, nothing bad to say about them.”
- Tom Dundon, whose purchase of the Trail Blazers is expected to close at some point in the coming weeks, has reached a deal to sell a 12.5% stake in the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes at a valuation of $2.66 billion, according to Scott Soshnick, Eben Novy-Williams, and Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico. It’s unclear, per Sportico, whether the timing of the transaction means Dundon is seeking additional liquidity as he prepares to finalize the Blazers sale.
- The Thunder earned their fourth consecutive victory on Wednesday, beating the Knicks 103-100 on the second night of a road back-to-back. However, they didn’t leave New York unscathed. As Marc Stein tweets, both Alex Caruso (left hip contusion) and Isaiah Hartenstein (left calf tightness) exited early and were ruled out for the rest of the night. It remains to be seen whether they’ll miss more time as a result of those injuries.
Thunder Notes: Joe, Injuries, Holmgren, Caruso, Topic
Thunder guard Isaiah Joe is one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA, but the 26-year-old contributes to winning in other ways as well, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscriber link).
Joe lit up the Cavaliers on Sunday, tying his season high with 22 points and converting six of his 11 looks from behind the arc. But he also had a career-high five steals, plus three assists and two rebounds in 30 minutes.
“From a young age, I’ve always taken pride in it,” Joe said of his defense. “Being undersized out there, you don’t want to be the weak link. With this team that we have, we have tremendous defenders. We can almost live and die on our defense every single game. So whenever I’m out there I just try to stay physical, make the right rotations, take charges and try to win on the defensive end.”
As Martinez writes, Joe is an adept off-ball mover and cutter on top of being an unselfish passer. Fellow guard Cason Wallace, who had his first career double-double Sunday (20 points, 10 assists, four rebounds, three steals), praised Joe’s all-around game.
“He’s a great cutter,” Wallace said. “If you overplay him, he’s very smart. He’ll back-cut you and finish at the rim. He’s a high-level rebounder. He has a full game, for sure.”
We have more from Oklahoma City:
- Head coach Mark Daigneault praised Joe after Sunday’s win, according to Martinez (Twitter video link). As Martinez notes, Joe is averaging 16.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 50.8% from long distance in nine February games (26.4 MPG) amid injuries to several key players. “He’s been unbelievable,” Daigneault said of the former second-round pick. “We’ve obviously endured injuries but also the fluidity of those injuries. It hasn’t been the same people out that have allowed us to get into a team rhythm. It’s just been a weird situation where the minute we get one guy back, another has gone out. He has been a stabilizing force.”
- The Thunder were missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso and Ajay Mitchell on Sunday, yet they outplayed the Cavs, who entered the game having won seven straight games and 12 of their past 13. OKC’s shorthanded victory over Cleveland is one reason why the NBA should rethink it’s marketing strategy and focus more on the depth of talent across the league and on the best teams rather than just star players, says Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “I think we do discredit ‘team,’” Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell said. “This wasn’t a situation where we were like, ‘All right, we’re going to come in here (and dominate, because of OKC’s injuries).’ They’re a championship-level team. But I do think you see that, no SGA, no J-Dub, as fans, not as us (the Cavs), and you do think, ‘Oh, it should just be a (cakewalk).’ You know what I mean? These guys can go. They can play. We’ve seen that. This league is very talented.”
- All-Star big man Chet Holmgren is questionable for Tuesday’s game against Toronto because of lower back spasms, tweets Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire. Caruso (left ankle sprain) is also questionable.
- After his second NBA game on Friday, Nikola Topic reflected his difficult road back to the court, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. The 20-year-old Serbian guard recovered from a torn ACL only to be diagnosed with testicular cancer in the fall. “I have to thank the organization as a whole, from the players and coaching staff to the medical team,” Topic said. “They were incredibly supportive throughout the entire process. And, of course, the fans as well.” Topic received a standing ovation in his first home game. “I’ll remember that for the rest of my life, and I’ll try to kind of say thank you on the court,” he added.
Thunder Notes: PPP, Topic, Williams, Boeheim
The NBA is looking at the Thunder for player absences in last Wednesday’s game against San Antonio, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort, and Alex Caruso all missed that nationally televised game after having played the previous night vs. Orlando. With the exception of Gilgeous-Alexander, who has remained sidelined due to an abdominal strain, the others were all back in action for the Thunder’s next game on Saturday.
If a team plans to sit a player for one game in a back-to-back set, the NBA typically wants it to happen during the game that isn’t nationally televised, so the league will consider whether Oklahoma City violated its player participation policy (PPP). However, besides SGA, none of those Thunder players meet the “star” criteria, and Rylan Stiles of SI.com suggests (via Twitter) that all their health issues were legitimate, so we’ll see if anything comes of the investigation.
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- After missing his entire rookie season in 2024/25 due to a torn ACL and then undergoing treatment for testicular cancer this past fall, Thunder guard Nikola Topic made his G League debut on Monday. In his first game for the Oklahoma City Blue, the 20-year-old Serbian had seven points and seven assists in 16 minutes off the bench. “Great accomplishment,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said, per The Associated Press. “Just can’t say enough about him as a guy, his mental toughness, maturity, resilience. … He hasn’t played a lot of basketball over the last two years, and he comes off a one-year rehab and immediately has a surprising diagnosis and goes through chemotherapy, three rounds of it. So for him to work himself back onto the court is just an unbelievable accomplishment, and we’re incredibly happy for him.”
- Jalen Williams‘ return following a 10-game absence due to a hamstring strain was a success, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. Williams scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to help Oklahoma City secure a 119-110 road win over the Lakers. “He slammed the door on that game,” Daigneault said. “It was impressive. He’s got such a body of work that we’re not overly concerned with how he plays coming back. We’re just happy he’s back. … Obviously, he was huge tonight. We know he’s a big-time player.”
- Buddy Boeheim‘s new two-way contract with the Thunder will cover two seasons, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Boeheim joined the team last Friday, filling the roster opening created when the team waived Chris Youngblood, who had reached his 50-game limit.
Northwest Notes: Valanciunas, Wolves, Markkanen, Thunder
The Nuggets have been without their top two centers since the calendar turned to 2026, but they appear on the verge of getting one of them back on the floor. According to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link), Jonas Valanciunas has been upgraded to questionable for Thursday’s matchup with Washington.
After star center Nikola Jokic suffered a knee injury on December 29, Valanciunas stepped into Denver’s starting lineup for a Dec. 31 contest in Toronto but was unable to finish that game due to a right calf strain. Although the Nuggets officially announced a day later that Valanciunas would be reevaluated in four weeks, it seems he has a good chance to beat that projected timeline. If he doesn’t play on Thursday in Washington, the Lithuanian’s next chance to suit up would be the following night in Milwaukee.
Jokic was said last week to be making good progress in his recovery from a bone bruise in his left knee, but remains out for now. Nuggets head coach David Adelman indicated on Tuesday that Valanciunas was on track to return before Jokic.
- While he acknowledges that the Timberwolves could also use another point guard and some additional rim protection, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic believes the team’s most glaring need is a bench scorer. As Krawczynski explains, big man Naz Reid has had to carry the scoring load for the second unit for much of the season due to the inconsistent play of the team’s reserve guards and wings.
- Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen will be inactive for a sixth game in a row on Thursday vs. San Antonio, but his injury designation has been changed from an illness to “return to competition reconditioning,” notes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). That update suggests Markkanen is close to returning.
- After a 6-6 stretch in December and early January, the Thunder are on a roll again, with seven wins in their past eight games. Still, the 37-8 club is dealing with no shortage of health issues. After losing Jalen Williams to a hamstring strain over the weekend, Oklahoma City had guard Alex Caruso (right adductor strain), big man Jaylin Williams (left glute contusion), and Aaron Wiggins (right groin soreness) inactive on Wednesday, and guard Ajay Mitchell exited early due to a right hip contusion. There has been no indication that any of the injuries are significant — notably, Jaylin Williams was initially listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game, while Wiggins was a late addition to the injury report.
Thunder Notes: SGA, J-Dub, Win Mark, Caruso, Topic
While the Thunder were disappointed to drop Saturday’s game to San Antonio — Oklahoma City’s first loss in five-plus weeks — they were more focused on areas of improvement afterward rather than hanging their heads, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
“Personally, I think it’s exciting,” superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s easier to learn when you don’t feel the way you want to feel. It stings a little bit more.
“We’ll also see these guys [twice in the next five] games. So, it will be a good challenge. Kind of like an automatic test, almost like in school. You fail the test, you get to retest a couple days later. That’s what it will probably feel like. Losing is where you find growth and where you really get better.”
Oklahoma City had its preferred starting lineup available on Saturday for the first time since the team won the championship in June, MacMahon notes. The Thunder were up 16 points late in the second quarter, but the Spurs rallied before halftime and wound up winning by two points.
Gilgeous-Alexander took responsibility for his part in the team’s “stagnant” offense — he finished with a game-high 29 points but also committed a season-high five turnovers.
“We can’t be spoiled,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, per MacMahon. “We can’t think we’re above anything. Us, along with every team in the league, if you show up on a night and don’t do the necessary thing to win, you probably won’t win, no matter how talented or no matter what your record looks like. That was the case for us tonight.”
Here’s more on the defending champions:
- The Thunder went 68-14 last season and won the NBA championship. However, they fell in the final of last year’s NBA Cup and were eliminated in the semifinals on Saturday. Star forward Jalen Williams, who finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals but shot just 5-of-17 from the field, admitted the team was hoping to add to its trophy case, relays Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “Yeah, it’s frustrating,” said Williams. “There’s perspective on it, for sure. I think an average team would probably be like, ‘Oh, it’s the Cup, whatever, we lost one.’ What are we, 24-2? I mean, we can go home and just hang our hat on that, or we can look at it as a way to get better and understand that we played against a playoff team that beat us and gave us a two on our (loss record). So that’s how we’ll look at it from a competitive standpoint.”
- Entering Saturday’s game, the Thunder were tied with the 2015/16 Warriors for the best 25-game start in NBA history. Golden State went on to break Chicago’s regular season win mark by compiling a 73-9 record, but fell in the 2016 NBA Finals to Cleveland. As MacMahon writes for ESPN.com, Gilgeous-Alexander said on Friday that it would “absolutely” be meaningful if the Thunder were able to break the Warriors’ record, but he also cautioned that the team was more focused on repeating as champions and continuing to make day-to-day improvements.
- The reigning MVP was asked about the win record again after Saturday’s loss, according to Vardon. “Seventy-three and nine? I mean, the position we’re in right now, what are we, 24-2? My goal is to get better,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “So if we get better than what we are now, that should take care of itself. That’s kind of how I see it. Goals to me are pointless trying to reach at when they are so far away. You have to take care of everything step-by-step, and tonight we didn’t. If we stack nights like we did tonight, we won’t even come close to it.”
- Veteran guard Alex Caruso was one of the standouts for the Thunder in Saturday’s loss, observes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscription required). On a night in which the offense wasn’t firing on all cylinders, Caruso did his best to will the team to victory in crunch time, Martinez writes, recording seven points, three rebounds and two steals in eight fourth-quarter minutes. The two-time champion finished with 11 points (on 5-of-9 shooting), eight rebounds, three assists and three steals, with the Thunder outscoring the Spurs by 22 points in his 24 minutes.
- Williams was recently asked about 2024 lottery pick Nikola Topic, who is undergoing treatment for testicular cancer. The Serbian guard missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL prior to the cancer diagnosis this fall. “He doesn’t come in like, ‘It sucks.’ He’s going in, working out and shooting and trying to get better, which is insane to me. … He’s been really strong about the situation. He doesn’t feel sorry for himself,” Williams said of Topic (Twitter link via Martinez).
Thunder’s Isaiah Hartenstein Returning Saturday
After missing the past six games with a right soleus (calf) strain, starting center Isaiah Hartenstein is not on the Thunder‘s injury report ahead of Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinal against the Spurs, which indicates he’ll be available to play, tweets Rylan Stiles of SI.com.
Oklahoma City got some other reinforcements back ahead of Wednesday’s quarterfinal win over Phoenix, with Luguentz Dort (right adductor strain) and Alex Caruso (right quad contusion) returning from injuries that cost the defensive stalwarts three and four games, respectively.
Guard Cason Wallace, who leads the NBA in steals per game (2.3), will be active on Saturday as well after leaving Wednesday’s game early — he was hit by a hard screen from Suns center Mark Williams, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscriber link).
The defending champions have been on an absolute tear this season, holding an active 16-game winning streak — a franchise record — heading into Saturday. The Thunder are currently 24-1, tied with the 2015/16 Warriors for the best 25-game start in NBA history.
Head coach Mark Daigneault was asked after Wednesday’s blowout victory how the Thunder have avoided complacency after winning the title in ’24/25 (Twitter video link from Martinez).
“You have to understand anything in the past takes you out of the present moment,” Daigneault said in part. “Anything in the future takes you out of the present moment. And the competition happens in the present moment.”
Injury Notes: SGA, Thunder, Booker, Essengue, Schröder
Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss his first game of the season on Sunday when the Thunder face the Jazz in Utah, tweets Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire. Gilgeous-Alexander is dealing with bursitis in his left elbow, per the team.
The superstar guard is one of seven Oklahoma City players who will be out Sunday. Others include rotation members Luguentz Dort (right adductor strain), Alex Caruso (right quad contusion), Isaiah Joe (left knee soreness) and Isaiah Hartenstein (right soleus strain).
Here are more injury notes from around the NBA:
- Suns head coach Jordan Ott provided an update on star guard Devin Booker on Friday, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter video link). Booker is recovering from a right groin strain and could return for Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal at Oklahoma City. “We’ll continue to assess him day-by-day, but he’s been through this before,” Ott said. “So he knows exactly where he’s at and his body and he’s made good progress in a short amount of time. … If his body is feeling good and he’s in a good place, he’ll absolutely be available (Wednesday).”
- Speaking to the media on Saturday, Bulls lottery pick Noa Essengue said his season-ending left shoulder injury was a dislocation, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network relays (via Twitter). The French forward added that he dislocated the same shoulder a couple of years ago and his surgery is scheduled for Wednesday.
- Kings point guard Dennis Schröder was out again last night in Miami due to a right hip flexor strain, notes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). While Schröder’s strain is “mild” and he’s considered day-to-day, he has now missed five straight games, having last suited up on Nov. 24 vs. Minnesota.
Injury Notes: Sheppard, Dort, Caruso, Oubre, Hornets
Pacers guard Ben Sheppard has been diagnosed with a left calf strain and will be out for at least Friday’s game against Chicago, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).
As Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star writes (subscriber link), the Pacers have been absolutely ravaged by injuries this season, particularly in the backcourt. Sheppard, a third-year guard out of Belmont, had been one the few exceptions to that — he was one of only four players on the roster — and the only guard — to play every game in 2025/26.
Sheppard had been playing some of his best basketball of the season recently, Dopirak notes. The 24-year-old primarily plays as a wing but had to man the point at times amid several injuries to teammates. In more of an off-ball role, he had 14 points (on 5-of-5 shooting), five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 18 minutes during Wednesday’s loss to Denver.
“He’s playing hard, he’s playing fast, he’s playing unselfish,” head coach Rick Carlisle said after Wednesday’s game. “He’s applying pressure full court. These are elements that we need. Him shooting the ball, 5-of-5 tonight is no surprise. He can shoot the ball. The key thing is that through all the challenges, he’s just remained true to who he is and stepped into the shots that are his shots. That’s his job to do and that’s everybody’s job to do.”
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Thunder wing Luguentz Dort will miss his second straight game on Friday due to a strained adductor, tweets Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire. Oklahoma City faces Dallas tomorrow evening. Dort, a member of the All-Defensive First Team in 2024/25, missed five games earlier this season with an upper right trap strain. Thunder guard Alex Caruso will be out Friday as well — he’s dealing with a quad contusion which will cause him to miss his third straight contest.
- Veteran wing Kelly Oubre Jr., who is out with a sprained LCL in his left knee, will miss at least one more week, the Sixers announced today (Twitter link via Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com). According to Philadelphia, Oubre is progressing well in his rebab. Oubre, who turns 30 next week, has missed the past eight games and will be out for at least three more.
- Collin Sexton was forced out of Wednesday’s game due to an injury, which has been diagnosed as a left quadriceps strain, per the Hornets (Twitter link). The 26-year-old guard has been ruled out of Friday’s game at Toronto. Three other Hornets — Tre Mann (right knee soreness), Brandon Miller (left shoulder) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (left ankle contusion) are questionable to play against the Raptors.
Northwest Notes: Dudley, Jazz, Ainge, Thunder
Jared Dudley had a lengthy NBA career. As an assistant coach with the Nuggets, Dudley now finds himself in charge of Denver’s defensive schemes. His main mission is a simple one.
“Coming up with a defense that protects (Nikola Jokic),” he told Bennett Durando of the Denver Post.
Dudley is doing so by having Denver’s guards and wings take on more responsibilities at that end of the floor, so that Jokic can conserve his energy for the offensive side.
“I can’t teach (him) anything offensively. You’re already this. You’ve got that,” Dudley said. “But defensively, I can teach you. I’ve played with different centers. I’ve played with Boban (Marjanovic), who’s bigger than you and slower than you. … I only want him to think about going back to the rim, Point A to Point B. I don’t want him having him to go guard these guards on the wings, in rotations.”
We have more on the Northwest Division:
- How are the Jazz‘s young players faring thus far? Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune takes a closer look, breaking down the team’s last three draft classes and evaluating each of those players’ performances.
- Austin Ainge is the Jazz‘s new president of basketball operations and Larsen spoke with the Celtics’ top executive, Brad Stevens, about the son of longtime Celtics and Utah executive Danny Ainge. Stevens is confident that Austin will step out of his father’s shadow and build a winner in Utah. “He’s always been a guy that I think has a good sense for putting a team together and what wins, both in the regular season and then certainly in the playoffs,” Stevens said.
- The undefeated Thunder will be playing without several rotation players in Portland tonight. Alex Caruso (rest), Luguentz Dort (right upper trapezius strain) and Chet Holmgren (lower back sprain) are all listed as out, Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman tweets.