Shai Gilgeous-Alexander [600x400]
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander [600x400] (Credit: Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)

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OKLAHOMA CITY -- Superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sat out the Thunder's 132-126 overtime loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday due to a right quadriceps contusion.

Gilgeous-Alexander originally suffered the injury during a March 20 win over the visiting Utah Jazz. He played in the Thunder's next three games but didn't perform up to his MVP-contender standards, averaging 19.7 points on 44.2% shooting during that stretch.

"He's banged up, for sure," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault told reporters after Gilgeous-Alexander hobbled noticeably at times while scoring 24 points in 38 minutes during Tuesday's road win over the New Orleans Pelicans. "He's not 100%. We're monitoring it."

Gilgeous-Alexander, who has missed only one previous game this season, ranks third in the league with 30.4 points per game on 54.0% shooting. He has led the Thunder to a 50-22 record as Oklahoma City battles the defending champion Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves for first place in the Western Conference.

The Rockets have the NBA's longest active winning streak at 10 games. Houston (37-35) has climbed within one game of the Golden State Warriors for 10th place and the final play-in spot in the West.