A little bit of positive injury news: Abdel Nader has been upgraded.
According to Erik Horne of The Athletic, Nader was upgraded to questionable on Tuesday afternoon.
Nader has been dealing with a left ankle sprain. He injured the ankle in the first half of Oklahoma City’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 13.
He left and did not return. He hasn’t played since, missing Oklahoma City’s last eight games.
When Nader has played this season, he’s played well. Primarily coming off the bench, the third-year forward is averaging a career-high 6.2 points per game, shooting 47% from the floor.
It’s not just Nader who has been hampered by an injury. The Thunder have struggled in that department as of late.
Both Nerlens Noel and Steven Adams have missed extended time.
Noel suffered an ankle sprain in the third quarter of Oklahoma City’s win over the Cavaliers on Jan. 4, missing six games before returning. He also missed Saturday’s game against Minnesota after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured cheekbone. Noel did return on Monday against the Mavericks but played with a mask.
As for Adams, he missed two games last week with a left ankle sprain after being undercut by Clint Capela in the first half of the Thunder’s win over Houston. He’s been limited in his return, scoring nine points while grabbing six rebounds in 47 minutes combined.
Oklahoma City expects to have both Noel and Adams available on Wednesday night against the Kings.
