The Oklahoma City Thunder’s medical fortune took another brutal turn on Monday night as their guard Alex Caruso had to leave the floor before OKC’s 125–114 victory over the Phoenix Suns with a right ankle sprain. Caruso’s exit comes during an extraordinarily painful 24-hour stretch for the franchise where wins have not felt like victories. The team is currently dealing with severe injuries to Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace that they sustained during Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
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Caruso’s injury occurred with 1:34 remaining in the second quarter when he rotated over to contest a shot by Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks near the lane. As Brooks drove and jump-stopped, his right foot collided with the inside of Caruso’s right ankle, sending Caruso to the floor.
Brooks got up immediately and was fine. Caruso stayed down briefly, gathering himself, then limped off the court and was assisted to the locker room amid supportive applause from the crowd. Team officials ruled him out for the remainder of the game shortly thereafter with a right ankle sprain.
Speaking to reporters after a morning team meeting called in the wake of the devastating injury updates, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled to process the setback regarding his co-star, Williams.
“Yeah, it was pretty crazy. Obviously, more than anything, I just feel gutted for the guy,” SGA told reporters before the Phoenix game. “Like, he’s had a tough year and a half with injuries, and then he finally seems like he figures it out, and then something fluke like this happens. Just, it’s crazy. It’s hard to even, like, fathom the game, and I know how much he just loves to play basketball, and for it to be taken away from him like that time after time after time is unfair. They always are. Injuries always are. But if anyone can come out stronger than an injury like this… he’ll be just fine. He’ll be a better basketball player than he ever was in the end of this. And I’m fully confident in that.”
SGA, who dropped 34 points in Sunday’s win over the Clippers, was devastated when J-Dub went down in that fashion. He was in tears as staff stretchered Williams off the floor and even after the game.
Speaking about the emotional toll, he revealed the locker room atmosphere after WIlilams and Wallace were officially sidelined.
“We had a team meeting this morning, but it wasn’t anything special. Like, it was no big, like, come together, hurrah moment. It was just like, these are the cards we were dealt, and we can either feel bad for ourselves—which nobody does—or we can go out there and get better from this opportunity, and we all chose to get better.”
Another card was dealt soon after SGA’s comments with Caruso’s injury. In the nine minutes he was on the floor, he recorded nine points, two rebounds and three assists on a 3-of-5 shooting from the field and similarly from the deep.
Caruso’s setback hits the Thunder at a critical juncture, as he was expected to take on a significantly expanded role following catastrophic news regarding Williams and Wallace. Both players require surgery after Sunday’s game. Williams suffered a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula that will likely sideline him for months, while Wallace suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
OKC was also missing starting center Chet Holmgren on Monday, who was held out with right knee patellar tendinitis
Despite operating with a severely short-handed rotation, the Thunder pushed its record to an undefeated 4–0 behind explosive performances from SGA and the bench depth. Ajay Mitchell stepped into the starting lineup for Williams and poured in a career-high 30 points, including 18 in the first half. Stepping up in Wallace’s place, Jared McCain contributed 18 points to secure the double-digit victory over Phoenix.
However, Caruso’s injury leaves head coach Mark Daigneault facing an even thinner guard rotation heading into Wednesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. Medical evaluations will determine the severity of Caruso’s right ankle sprain. We’ll keep a keen eye on OKC’s injury report for Caruso and Holmgren’s statuses.