The Oklahoma City Thunder were able to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers by 18 points last Friday, but they did it without any of their five starters.
The starting lineup is led by MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, yet he, along with the other four starters, all had the night off in their 107-89 victory.
Clearly, the Thunder were OK, but the NBA is investigating the matter for potentially violating the league’s player-participation policy, according to ESPN.
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Isaiah Hartenstein, #55, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, #2, Alex Caruso, #9, Luguentz Dort, #5, Jalen Williams and Adam Flagler, #14 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 7, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
It was the second game of a back-to-back, and this week, the Thunder had a stout schedule, including another back-to-back against the Denver Nuggets and a potential NBA Finals matchup against the Boston Celtics. (They split with Denver and beat Boston on the road.)
Saturday also starts another back-to-back for OKC against the Pistons and Bucks, both of whom own playoff spots.
The Thunder are 54-12, good for easily the top record in the Western Conference. It’s easy to say they are playing the long game, as they have the No. 1 seed all but clinched. However, the NBA has begun to crack down on load management for players.
It was just the second time Gilgeous-Alexander missed a game this season, who was out due to what the team called “rest.” However, OKC did list injuries for the other four starters.
Two years ago, the Dallas Mavericks were fined $750,000 for sitting players in a game, but that had been in a rather clear effort to tank for a better draft pick.
Nov. 16, 2022, Washington, D.C.: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dribbles up the court during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. (Tommy Gilligan-USA Today Sports)
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Later in 2023, the league voted in favor of a new player-participation policy, which would restrict teams from resting a star player during a nationally televised game or for the in-season tournament games.
The association was also set to investigate the Philadelphia 76ers amid Joel Embiid’s absence earlier this season, and they are now being looked at due to Paul George and Tyrese Maxey missing games as their season continues to falter.
Teams are not allowed to have any players stop playing long-term unless they are dealing with injury.
Nov. 16, 2022, Washington, D.C.: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) reacts after a first-half basket against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. (Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports)
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The policy also states that players must play in at least 65 of the 82 regular-season contests on the schedule to be eligible for league awards, including MVP and All-NBA teams.
Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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