Thunder's Lu Dort available, Darius Bazley still probable for Saturday night against Philadelphia
Mark Daigneault’s reinforcements have arrived.
Lugeuntz Dort, who hasn’t played since he left the game against the Boston Celtics on March 27 after being placed in concussion protocol, has officially been upgraded to available for tonight’s battle against the formidable Philadelphia 76ers.
Dort has taken a step forward in his second year in the NBA, averaging 12.6 points per game for the OKC Thunder while continuing to play defense at a high level.
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Darius Bazley could join Dort in the lineup Saturday night, as the former New Balance intern has been upgraded to probable.
Bazley has been sidelined with the bruised left shoulder for over a month now, playing his last game on March 4.
Before his injury, Bazley averaged 11.9 points and 7.5 rebounds in 36 games this season.
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Aleksej Pokusevski has come into his own at the power forward position in Bazley’s absence. It will certainly be an interesting dynamic with both stretch-bigs on the floor.
Isaiah Roby and Josh Hall are all still listed on the injury report in concussion protocol. Mike Muscala is out due to an ankle injury, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is out due to platter fasciitis, and Al Horford has been shut down for the rest of the season.
Bazley will join the Thunder in one of the worst stretches in franchise history. According to ESPN, they’ve been outscored by 29.4 points per game over this stretch: the worst differential in a five-game span by any team since the 1993-94 season.
Philadelphia ranks second in the Eastern Conference with a 35-16 record.
