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

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been ruled out through the All-Star break due to an abdominal injury, meaning he'll miss Monday's game with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Even though SGA is out, the Thunder are road favorites in this matchup, as the Lakers are down All-Star guard Luka Doncic.

OKC has dropped back-to-back games with Gilgeous-Alexander out of the lineup, but it will get Jalen Williams (hamstring) back in action on Monday which should help the team's offense.

SGA is the favorite to win the league's MVP this season, averaging 31.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 55.4 percent from the field and 39.0 percent from 3-point range.

OKC is 2-2 in the games that Gilgeous-Alexander has missed this season, so betting on the Thunder as road favorites could be a little risky. Instead, there is a player prop to target to consider for the defending champs on Monday night.

Best Thunder Prop Bet vs. Lakers

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Jalen Williams Assists

I don't have a specific play that I love for the Thunder on Monday, but there is a way to back Jalen Williams in his return to action.

Williams is off the injury report and expected to play against the Lakers on Monday, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s on a clear minutes limit in this matchup.

In fact, many books haven’t even offered OVER/UNDER props for Williams in this game and are instead just offering round number totals for his statistics.

After sitting out since Jan. 17, it’s hard to tell just how effective the All-Star wing will be in this matchup.

If there’s one area to consider backing Williams, it may be as a passer since he’s averaging 5.6 assists per game and the Lakers are 26th in the NBA in opponent assists per game. Williams is set at 6+ assists at DraftKings at -206 and 7+ assists at -109.

While I don’t love either number since we don’t know how the Thunder will deploy him on Monday, this market could be worth a look if an OVER/UNDER comes out for Williams ahead of tip off.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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