Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sidelined until after All-Star break with abdominal strain

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be out of action until after the All-Star break due to an abdominal strain, the team announced Wednesday.

The reigning MVP suffered the injury during Oklahoma City’s 128-92 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night. The Canadian guard will sit out the All-Star games on Feb. 15. Commissioner Adam Silver will choose his replacement for the World team in the round-robin competition.

Gilgeous-Alexander missed Wednesday night’s game at San Antonio. The Thunder have four more games before All-Star Weekend, including a home game against Houston on Saturday and a visit to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. The team said it will re-evaluate him after the break.

It’s a huge loss for the defending NBA champion Thunder, who entered Wednesday night with a league-best 40-11 record. Gilgeous-Alexander is the league’s No. 2 scorer with 31.8 points per game, and he is having perhaps his best all-around season. He ranks among the league leaders in field-goal percentage at 55.4% (14th) and in assists, with 6.4 per contest (15th).

“He’s certainly a high-usage, high-impact player for us,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said before the game at San Antonio. “So we’ve got to do it as a group and collectivel...