Cason Wallace of Thunder exits game with worrisome injury

On Monday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder handily took care of business against a Sacramento Kings team that was on the second night of a back-to-back, taking a 130-109 win away from home. But the win did not come without a casualty for a Thunder team that’s currently weathering injuries to two crucial rotation players in Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso.

Late in the third quarter of the Thunder’s win, sophomore guard Cason Wallace had to exit the game early after sustaining an ankle injury and did not return to the game, as per Joel Lorenzi of Oklahoman Sports. Wallace put up just four points, one rebound, and one steal in 15 minutes of play before leaving the contest for good.

It’s not quite clear how severe the ankle injury Wallace sustained is. But one thing’s for certain, it was serious enough for the Thunder to rule him out for the rest of the game.

The young Thunder guard sustained the injury when he twisted his ankle while trying to defend a Kings inbounds play. He appeared to step on Kings forward Isaac Jones’ foot, immediately crumpling to the ground. The good news is that, after being helped up by his teammates, Wallace walked back to the bench under his own power, even if it meant that his night had come to its end.

The Thunder will play next on Wednesday when they take on the Golden State Warriors away from home. For now, Wallace should be considered questionable for that game with an ankle injury.

Thunder take first place in the Western Conference standings

The Thunder were a trendy pick this past offseason to win it all, and nothing has suggested yet that Oklahoma City isn’t among the favorites to take home the 2025 Larry O’Brien trophy. It is impressive how much the Thunder has continued to roll despite their recurring injury problems, and with Chet Holmgren still in crutches, OKC has its work cut out for them if they were to maintain their place atop the Western Conference.

If Cason Wallace were to miss a few games after sustaining an ankle injury, Ajay Mitchell and Isaiah Joe are candidates to receive extra burn in his absence. Perhaps Alex Caruso could also return soon from his nagging hip issues.

But with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams playing at an All-Star level, and Isaiah Hartenstein being every bit as good as advertised after signing a huge free-agent deal, the Thunder are looking like the team to beat out West.