Chet Holmgren has been ruled out for Wednesday's game at Dallas with a right knee issue, a downgrade from day-to-day. The Thunder will be without their starting big man, and four other rotation players are also out or day-to-day.
What happened
Holmgren was downgraded to out on Tuesday at 5:48 p.m. ET. He had been listed as day-to-day earlier that day. The injury is to his right knee. The injury report's comment: "Holmgren (knee) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Mavericks." It has been a back-and-forth week. He was listed as out on Monday, moved to day-to-day on Tuesday, then went back to out a few hours later. Earlier in October he was day-to-day with a quadriceps issue before he was cleared on Oct. 19.
What it means for the Thunder
Oklahoma City plays at Dallas on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Thunder are 4-0, on a four-game winning streak, and hold the second seed. Holmgren has averaged 12.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 29.9 minutes over three games. The Thunder are 3-0 with him and 1-0 without him. In the game he missed, Isaiah Hartenstein played 23.3 minutes and scored 9.3 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carried the load with 34.3 minutes and 27.3 points. Depth is thin. Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace are all listed as out, and Ajay Mitchell is day-to-day with an ankle issue.
What to watch
The injury report lists Oct. 31 as Holmgren's expected return date. That would make Wednesday's game in Dallas the only one he is set to miss. Watch the next injury report to see whether that date holds, since his status has already changed twice this week. Also watch Mitchell's ankle. If he can't go either, the Thunder will lean even harder on Hartenstein and Gilgeous-Alexander against the Mavericks.
Is Chet Holmgren playing at the Mavericks on Wednesday?
No. He has been ruled out for Wednesday's game at Dallas with a right knee issue.
When will Chet Holmgren be back?
The injury report lists Oct. 31 as his expected return date. That date has not been confirmed for a specific game.