Steven Adams a surprise name on OKC injury list
The Thunder's game notes released Monday afternoon listed Andre Roberson (left patellar knee surgery) and Russell Westbrook (right knee scope) as out, but the true eyebrow-raiser on the team's injury report was Steven Adams listed as questionable with lower back soreness.
Adams is coming off a dominant preseason in which he averaged 11 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in fewer than 25 minutes a game. Adams played in all four preseason games for the Thunder with no signs of pain.
Adams was a problem for Golden State last season, as the Thunder outscored the Warriors by 9.9 points when the 7-footer was in the game. Adams averaged 12.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 62.5 percent shooting against the Warriors last season in four meetings.
Nader ready?
Following Thunder practice on Monday, Abdel Nader was the best shooter in a slew of Thunder wing players playing “Around the World.”
Now it’s time for Nader to put it into a game. The Thunder traded for the 6-foot-6, 230-pound Nader in August to bolster its wing depth, but he missed most of preseason practice and all four games with left knee soreness.
“He’s a really good shooter,” Paul George said. “Abdel is one of our better shooters. He can really spread the floor, doesn’t need much time to get it off. So that’s a huge weapon, especially playing around me, playing around Russ. A guy who can stretch and spread the floor is crucial.”
Thunder coach Billy Donovan said Nader will be available to play against Golden State on Tuesday, as will Terrance Ferguson, who was removed from concussion protocol this weekend after passing the required baseline tests.
“The unfortunate part is he’s missed so much of training camp,” Donovan said of Nader. “He’s getting back to feeling more and more comfortable
“He can shoot it. He can put the ball on the floor. He’s a physical driver. He’s deceptive around the basket athletically. It would’ve been nice to have seen him a little bit more, but I’m happy he’s healthier now than he was a couple weeks ago.”
Quotable
Warriors forward Kevin Durant on Monday said he was looking forward to seeing Westbrook. Durant when about his relationship with Westbrook: "Does it really matter? That's between me and him. The basketball relationship, I have nothing but respect for what he does, but we'll keep that between him and I."