Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be sidelined until after the All-Star break because of an abdominal strain suffered in Tuesday's game, the team announced Wednesday.
The injury will keep the reigning MVP out for at least five games, which began with Wednesday night's 116-106 loss at San Antonio. He will also be unavailable for Team World in the new three-team All-Star Game format. Commissioner Adam Silver will choose his replacement for the World team in the round-robin competition.
The Thunder said Gilgeous-Alexander would be reevaluated after the All-Star break. Oklahoma City's first game after the break is Feb. 20 against the Brooklyn Nets.
It's a huge loss for the defending NBA champion Thunder, who have a league-best 40-12 record. Gilgeous-Alexander is the league's No. 2 scorer at 31.8 points per game, and he is having perhaps his best all-around season. He ranks among the league leaders in field-goal percentage (14th, 55.4%) and assists (15th, 6.4).
"He's certainly a high-usage, high-impact player for us," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said before Wednesday's game. "So we've got to do it as a group and collectively, which is what we do when he's on the bench and he's not on the court."
Gilgeous-Alexander had been uncertain for Tuesday's 128-92 win over the Orlando Magic after he had been listed as questionable because of a right index finger sprain and illness. He was made available for the game and finished with 20 points and nine assists in the victory.
He extended his streak of games with at least 20 points to 121 but cut it close, not scoring his 20th point until he made a free throw with 2:14 left in the fourth quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander is within five of tying Wilt Chamberlain's record of 126 straight games with at least 20 points.
His injury is the latest in a string of health setbacks for the Thunder.
In the win over Orlando, Oklahoma City played without Jalen Williams, who sat out his eighth straight game because of a hamstring injury, and Ajay Mitchell, who sat out his sixth game in a row because of an abdominal strain. Williams was an All-Star in 2025 and Mitchell has been one of the league's most improved players in his second season.
The Thunder sat much of their team Wednesday. Williams and Mitchell remain out. All-Star Chet Holmgren (lower back spasms), starting guard Luguentz Dort (knee inflammation), starting center Isaiah Hartenstein (eye abrasion) and reserve Alex Caruso (right adductor) were sidelined. Hartenstein just returned from an injury and had his first career triple-double Tuesday night.
It was a busy Wednesday for the Thunder. They acquired guard Jared McCain from the Philadelphia 76ers for draft picks and traded reserve forward Ousmane Dieng, who ended up with Charlotte.
As usual, Daigneault saw potential in the situation. He has built a reputation for developing young players, and those that remain will get more opportunities in the coming weeks.
"We've played a lot of games like this over the last couple of years, and we've gotten something out of them, usually," he said.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.