Shai Gilgeous-Alexander keeps piling up reasons to sit at the center of the MVP conversation, and the Thunder’s battered rotation is giving him a fresh one.
Oklahoma City moved to 4-0 with Monday’s win over the Suns, but the bigger story was who didn’t finish the night. Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace are both out for months, and the list keeps growing around them: Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso are also unavailable for Wednesday’s game at Dallas, while Ajay Mitchell is questionable.
That kind of injury fallout puts even more weight on Gilgeous-Alexander’s shoulders. He’s already won the last two MVPs, and as Ivan White of Thunder On SI wrote, keeping Oklahoma City near the top of the West through these absences would only strengthen his case for another one.
The Thunder would likely prefer something much simpler: one week without another name popping up on the report.
There’s already proof they can survive stretches like this. Gilgeous-Alexander has done the heavy lifting before, including in games without Williams, who missed much of last season.
But Wallace’s absence changes the equation again. He was another key defender, and losing him makes life tougher for the guards left to cover both ends of the floor.
Oklahoma City can still win. Monday made that clear. The test now is whether they can keep it going without asking their best player to answer every problem by himself.
Out in Cleveland, Peyton Watson is already making his presence felt in ways that don’t show up in a highlight package.
His jumper still hasn’t come around, but the rest of his game was all over Monday’s overtime win over the Timberwolves. Watson finished with three steals, four blocks, four deflections and a team-high 14 contested shots. That’s the kind of disruptive, high-energy profile Cleveland wanted when it brought him in, according to Mack Perry of Cavaliers On SI.
Anthony Edwards still poured in 47 points. Even with active defense, a scorer like that can still take over. Watson kept churning out plays anyway, and he closed things out with two big free throws in the final seconds of overtime.
The offensive side was quieter, but not nonexistent. Four of his five baskets came from putting the ball on the deck and attacking the paint, Perry noted. That matters, because it gives Cleveland another route to scoring besides waiting on his perimeter shot to arrive.
And that shot hasn’t been there yet. Watson is 2-of-14 from three through three games. Still, Monday was a reminder that he doesn’t need to live and die by that part of his game to matter.
The Cavs didn’t bring him in just to park in the corner. Against Minnesota, he was making an impact everywhere else.
In Atlanta, the Hawks may have to do without one of their most useful bench scorers on Wednesday.
Aaron Wiggins is questionable for the game against the Heat because of a left knee contusion, according to Jackson Caudell of Hawks On SI. He’s been giving the second unit a real jolt, averaging 15.8 points while shooting 53.5% from the field and 48% from three.
That production is hard to replace, especially with the Hawks coming off back-to-back losses to the Rockets.
If Wiggins can’t go, Quin Snyder has a few ways to patch the hole. Corey Kispert could see extra run as a shooter, while reserves Lu Dort, Kingston Flemings and Jock Landale may also have to absorb more minutes.
Landale is available even with a nasal fracture. Mohamed Gueye remains out with a left foot fracture, and Henri Veesaar is sidelined by a torn right ACL.
In Other News...
Cavaliers Win Still Exposed A Frustrating Problem Mobley And Allen Haven't Fixed
The Cavaliers got the overtime win they needed against Minnesota, but the box score still pointed to a nagging problem that has followed them at times this season. Even with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen anchoring the front line, Cleveland was hurt on the defensive glass, and the Wolves extra chances kept possessions alive in a way that made the game far harder than it should have been.
For a team built to defend at a high level, the issue goes beyond two big men doing their job. Rebounding on the defensive end has to be a full-team task, with guards and wings helping close possessions before they turn into second opportunities, and this one offered another reminder that the Cavaliers still have work to do there if they want to make wins look cleaner. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Win Just Sparked An Officiating Debate Fans Will Be Talking About
The Cavaliers overtime win over the Timberwolves is already the kind of result that gets replayed, but the NBAs Last Two Minute Report added another layer to the discussion. The league identified two officiating mistakes that worked in Clevelands favor, while also backing several other calls from the final stretch, including the non-flagrant ruling on Donovan Mitchell and a foul on Jaden McDaniels.
What stood out most was how thin the margins were late, when every whistle can reshape a games finish. The report said a key call should have gone the other way on the final possession of regulation, and it also marked an overtime foul involving Mitchell and LaMelo Ball as incorrect because the contact was deemed incidental, leaving plenty for fans to debate even after the result is in the books. [Read more 🡒]
AJ Dybantsa Puts Wizards Spotlight Squarely On Cavs Game
The Cavaliers will be the backdrop for AJ Dybantsas long-awaited NBA debut, as the Wizards rookie is set to return after missing Washingtons first four games with a left ankle sprain. Dybantsa, who was hurt in the preseason finale against the New Orleans Pelicans, has now been upgraded to available and gives an injury-hit Washington roster a fresh name to add to the mix.
For Cleveland, the main storyline is no longer just the opponent across the floor but the added intrigue of seeing how a rookie debut changes the feel of the matchup. The Wizards are already dealing with multiple absences, so Dybantsas first game arrives in a shorthanded setting that puts even more attention on how Washington chooses to use him right away. [Read more 🡒]