Injury Report Could be Crucial to Outcome of OKC Thunder vs. Nuggets

There was plenty of surprising news for both OKC and Denver.

Jan 29, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) gestures to teammates in the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

On Friday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder are set to face off against a West rival in the Denver Nuggets, desperately needing to get back into the win column.

OKC picked up two suprising wins earlier in the season, but dropped a hard-fought but undermanned game to Detroit Wednesday, and the Spurs have narrowed the gap for No. 1 in the Western Conference to just 1.5 games.

Suffice it to say, a home victory over Denver would go a long way for Oklahoma City.

Here are the injury reports for both teams ahead of tonight's bout:

OKC Thunder Injuries:

Branden Carlson — Out: Low back strain

Ajay Mitchell — Out: Abdominal strain, left ankle sprain

Thomas Sorber — Out: Right ACL

Jalen Williams — Out: Right hamstring strain

Denver Nuggets injuries:

Tamar Bates — Out: Left foot surgery

Aaron Gordon — Out: Right hamstring strain

Curtis Jones — Out: G League

Spencer Jones — Questionable: Right shoulder strain

Jamal Murray — Questionable: Illness

Jalen Pickett — Questionable: Right knee soreness

Julian Strawther — Probable: Left great toe sprain

Peyton Watson — Out: Right hamstring strain

---

The Thunder still see four players listed due to injury, but get good news in the exclusion of several names, most notably superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

SGA suffered an abdominal strain prior to the All-Star break, which caused him to miss nine games. He’s been the MVP front-runner for most of the season, averaging 31.8 points, 6.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game, and is an obviously vital piece to OKC’s contention both now and in the coming months.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is BACK.

SGA will play tomorrow vs the Nuggets. pic.twitter.com/ivSyO379wj

— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) February 26, 2026

Also scratched from the injury report is Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, all of which have missed time sparingly.

Oklahoma City does see Ajay Mitchell and Jalen Williams listed, as well as two-way center Branden Carlson, who exited Wednesday’s game against Detroit mid-way through. Mitchell, an up-and-coming guard, was on the same re-evaluation timeline as SGA, but needs a little more time. Williams was expected to need one more week than his guard counterparts in dealing with another hamstring strain.

The Nuggets are dealing with plenty of injuries of their own, seeing almost a mirroring of OKC’s own woes this season. On Friday they’ll be without notable contributors in Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, with star guard Jamal Murray listed as questionable. Several other rotational players are also out or questionable to play.

Whether Denver's players are able to take the floor tonight is obviously set to play a crucial role in the outcome.

The Thunder and Nuggets tip off at 8:30 p.m. CT from Oklahoma City, OK.