NBA investigating why Thunder sat all five starters for same game: report

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The Oklahoma City Thunder were able to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers by 18 points last Friday, but they did it without any of their five starters.

The starting lineup is led by MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, yet he, along with the other four starters, all had the night off in their 107-89 victory.

Clearly, the Thunder were OK, but the NBA is investigating the matter for potentially violating the league's player-participation policy, according to ESPN.

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Isaiah Hartenstein, #55, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, #2, Alex Caruso, #9, Luguentz Dort, #5, Jalen Williams and Adam Flagler, #14 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 7, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  (Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)

It was the second game of a back-to-back, and this week, the Thunder had a stout schedule, including another back-to-back against the Denver Nuggets and a potential NBA Finals matchup against the Boston Celtics. (They split with Denver and beat Boston on the road.)

Saturday also starts another back-to-back for OKC against the Pistons and Bucks, both of whom own playoff spots.

The Thunder are 54-12, good for easily the top record in the Western Conference. It's easy to say they are playing the long game, as they have the No. 1 seed all but clinched. However, the NBA has begun to crack down on load management for players.

It was just the second time Gilgeous-Alexander missed a game this season, who was out due to what the team called "rest." However, OKC did list injuries for the other four starters.

Two years ago, the Dallas