SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER is off. His first warmup shot clangs around the rim. So do his second and his third.
He's getting ready for one of the biggest games in Oklahoma City Thunder history, a March 9 showdown at home on national TV against the Denver Nuggets. Gilgeous-Alexander is locked in an MVP battle with Nikola Jokic, and a head-to-head game could sway a voter or three. He can't afford to be off today.
The countdown clock says there are 78 minutes until tipoff as Gilgeous-Alexander whiffs on his first three shots.