Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Nets vs. Thunder)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) missed the team's final five games before the All-Star break, and he'll remain sidelined on Friday against the Brooklyn Nets.

SGA has been ruled out for at least one more week, meaning he'll miss games against Brooklyn, Cleveland, Toronto and Detroit. It seems his next chance to play will be on Friday, Feb. 27 against the Denver Nuggets.

The Thunder say Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) and Ajay Mitchell (abdominal strain/left ankle sprain) are out at least one more week … with Jalen Williams (right hamstring strain) to be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 19, 2026

This is a big blow for the Thunder, who have a small lead over the San Antonio Spurs for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. OKC is just 4-3 in the seven games that SGA has missed this season, and his injury certainly impacts his MVP case this season.

If Gilgeous-Alexander misses another week, he'll be up to 11 missed games this season, meaning he can only miss six more to still be eligible for postseason awards. OKC's latest injury update shifted the MVP odds once again, as he's now down to -185 to win the award.

Earlier this week, Gilgeous-Alexander was -210 to win his second consecutive league MVP. Now, Nikola Jokic (+280) has moved from +300 in the latest odds, although he has some injury issues of his own. Jokic has already missed 16 games this season due to a knee injury.

SGA is averaging 31.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game while shooting an impressive 55.4 percent from the field and 39.0 percent from 3. If he returns in a week, he should remain in the mix for this market. However, Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP case would take a hit if the Thunder fall out of the No. 1 seed in the West.

Even with SGA out, the Thunder are heavily favored on Friday night against a Brooklyn team that is playing the second night of a back-to-back.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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