Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s ankle injury gets crucial Mark Daigneault update

Fortunately, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was able to continue playing — he scored a game-high 24 points in 40 minutes of action in the close-out game — and the Thunder were able to walk out of the Smoothie King Center with a 1st Round series victory under their belt.

After the game, NBA Coach of the Year Mark Daigneault gave an optimistic update on his MVP candidate’s health moving forward.

“He just tweaked it. Obviously good enough to go back in the game. He’ll need treatment. These next couple days will really help him, but obviously, it didn’t impact his availability in tonight’s game nor should it moving forward,” Daigneault said.

That sound you just heard was the collective sigh of relief from Oklahoma City Thunder fans across the country. Without their 25-year-old superstar, OKC’s chances of capturing their first NBA Title is as good as my chances of being selected in the NBA Draft this summer. And that’s not meant to be a knock on the Thunder. The team that Sam Presti has put together around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is plenty good enough to win an NBA Title this year as long as SGA is at close to 100 percent. I firmly believe that.

The Thunder now are in the advantageous position of being able to play the waiting game as the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks continue to battle in the 4/5 matchup in the Western Conference. Their series is tied at 2 games apiece, and neither team is at 100 percent health-wise. Luka Doncic is being hampered by a bum knee, and Kawhi Leonard’s status for the remainder of the Clippers postseason appears to be murky at best.

With the Mavericks/Clippers series extending until at least Friday night — with a Game 7 tentatively scheduled for Sunday — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will have a full week to rehab his tweaked ankle and be ready to go when the young Thunder start begin their 2nd Round series.