Gilgeous-Alexander cleared for return

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Reigning National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been cleared to return for the Oklahoma City Thunder after missing nine straight games with an abdominal strain.

Gilgeous-Alexander was not on the official injury report for Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets and will be available to play for the defending champions, who went 5-4 in his absence.

Since Gilgeous-Alexander was hurt in a 3 February victory over Orlando the Thunder’s lead atop the Western Conference has been cut to two games by the San Antonio Spurs, who went into Thursday on a 10-game winning streak.

Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.8 points, 6.4 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game and remains a favorite to repeat as MVP.

Oklahoma City will still be without Jalen Williams and key reserve Ajay Mitchell.

But the return of Gilgeous-Alexander will be a huge boost for a team that started Wednesday’s game against East-leading Detroit without four of its leading scorers in Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, Mitchell and center Chet Holmgren.

Isaiah Hartenstein was also absent, and Isaiah Joe and Branden Carlson exited early with injuries as Detroit built a big lead then held on for the win.

Holmgren, Hartenstein and Joe are also expected to be available against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.

Meanwhile, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards and Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane have both been fined $25,000 for throwing game balls “with force” into the stands.

Edwards threw the ball into the crowd at halftime of Minnesota’s 124-121 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.

Minnesota were leading 62-59 when Edwards rebounded the final attempt of the first half, throwing the ball down the court after the buzzer went off.

Edwards played 38 minutes and scored 34 points in the victory. The 24-year-old guard, who was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player this month, is averaging 29.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this season.

Bane was fined for his throw into the stands after the Magic’s 110-109 victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The Lakers had come up empty on a potential game-winning play at the buzzer when Bane, who is averaging 20.2 points per game, corralled the ball and hurled it down the court.

Bane was fined $35,000 in December for throwing a game ball at New York’s OG Anunoby in an “unsportsmanlike manner.”

In November he was ejected from a game after firing a ball onto a prone Onyeka Okongwu, who hit the court after he was fouled by Bane in a Magic loss to the Atlanta Hawks.