On Tour with Shai and the Blue

With adversity comes opportunity. Just ask the Oklahoma City Thunder, and specifically the team's bench, which was more important last week than at any time during the season thus far.

That's because nearly half the team was injured, limiting OKC to just nine active players for games against Denver, Minnesota and Utah. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tre Mann, Aleksej Pokusevski, Darius Bazley, Isaiah Roby, Vit Krejci, Theo Maledon, Olivier Sarr and Lindy Waters III were the only players available when the Thunder visited the Nuggets last Wednesday, March 2.

Other than Gilgeous-Alexander and Bazley, every one had spent time with the Oklahoma City Blue this season. It's barely an exaggeration to say the Thunder entered Denver last week with a G League roster — and won. OKC defeated reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the playoff-bound Nuggets, 119-107, in what may be the most surprising result of the season so far.

The victory was as decisive as it was unexpected. Gilgeous-Alexander went for 29 points, seven rebounds and five assists, leading the team as usual. But the Thunder got a season-high 26 points from Roby, too, who also chipped in seven and five in an outstanding 34 minutes. Mann scored 13, Bazley had 12 and Pokusevski neared a double-double with 11 rebounds and nine points.

It's unlikely that players like Roby, Waters and Sarr would see the court much with a full complement of 17 players available. And the injuries allowed Pokusevski to crack the Thunder starting lineup again, something he'd done only twice this year after starting 28 games one season ago.

"Shai and the Blue" sounds more like a boy band but, on

Wednesday, it was a potent basketball team, too.

Unfortunately, OKC played much more like shorthanded underdogs on Friday against Minnesota. The Wolves pulled ahead in the second quarter, maintained the lead in the third and then dominated the fourth, ultimately winning 138-101 despite SGA's 33-point effort.

Looking to right the ship on Sunday, OKC ran into the buzzsaw of Utah's offense and shooting. Bojan Bogdanovich, specifically, set a new Utah franchise record with 11 3-pointers on 18 attempts. They accounted for the vast majority of his game-high 35 points; Utah won 116-103.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 again. The loss brought Oklahoma City to 20-44 on the season with 18 games remaining. OKC returned to the court on Tuesday,

OKC returned to the court on Tuesday, March 8, against the Milwaukee Bucks. It then hit the road for a Wednesday-night game in Minnesota, and will return to the Paycom Center on Sunday, March 13 for a matchup with Ja Morant and the Grizzlies.

The Thunder hope to get a bit healthier this week, but one player we won't see is Josh Giddey, whose lingering hip soreness will keep him out for at least two more weeks. Giddey's development is one of the most important storylines for the team as the season winds down; head coach Mark Daigneault said Saturday that he's hopeful the rookie will return before the season ends. Giddey's sore hip has derailed his quest to sweep Western

Giddey's sore hip has derailed his quest to sweep Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors, which he earned in November, December, January and February before missing all of March so far. Can Mann keep the award in Oklahoma City? Tune in and find out, and Thunder Up!