The Oklahoma City Thunder will be going for a 3-1 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs without the services of Ajay Mitchell.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Saturday that the Thunder guard will sit out that contest because of a right calf strain.
Mitchell left in the second half of Friday’s meeting with the Spurs due to a lower-body issue, though his departure did not impact Oklahoma City’s dominance in the game. The Thunder still came away with a 123-108 victory, with Mitchell scoring 2 points on 1/5 shooting to go along with 5 rebounds and 1 assist in 17 minutes.
Mitchell’s expected absence for Game 4 complicates the Thunder’s rotation. The 23-year-old former UC Santa Barbara guard has been Oklahoma City’s regular starter in place of Jalen Williams in the playoffs, and with Williams still listed as questionable, the Thunder may have to dig deep into their roster to find a suitable player to start alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Game 4.
Mitchell has averaged just 5.3 points through three games in the Spurs series, but he was incredible in the second round against the Los Angeles Lakers, where he put up 22.5 points per game in an OKC sweep of LeBron James and company.
Alex Caruso and Jared McCain, who are both having a great playoffs, are perhaps the top candidates to get a starting nod for the Thunder on Sunday at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, if Williams is ultimately ruled out.
