Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Looks Visibly Sad Amid Injuries as OKC Star Gets Booed Heavily

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Friday that Chet Holmgren will miss eight to 10 weeks with a small patellar tendon tear in his right knee. A night later in Houston, a video showed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sitting quietly on the bench as the roster around him thinned out and the crowd had already made its feelings known. The scene came with a 21-point loss that added to a bad week for Oklahoma City.

The clip, shared on social media, showed Gilgeous-Alexander sitting in his warm-up shirt with a distant expression while Houston fans fill the seats behind him. “Someone give SGA a hug,” the fan who posted it wrote.

The video follows a loud reception before tip-off. Rockets fans loudly booed the visiting players during pregame introductions, and Gilgeous-Alexander drew particular attention.

The crowd’s reaction had a backstory. Kevin Durant was loudly booed during his return to Oklahoma City on opening night in 2025, and Rockets fans returned the favor this time.

Gilgeous-Alexander's night was productive even though the team's wasn't. He led Oklahoma City with 26 points on 10-for-20 shooting, along with four rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes as the Thunder fell 119-98.

When asked afterward what the Thunder could control going forward, the reigning MVP didn’t have a clear answer.

“I don’t know,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We have some figuring out to do, for sure.”

The injury list explains the mood. Alex Caruso (sprained right ankle), Chet Holmgren (right knee), Jalen Williams (left ankle surgery), Cason Wallace (left shoulder labral tear), Nikola Topić (low back surgery) and Thomas Sorber (right knee surgery) all missed the game.

The loss dropped Oklahoma City to 4-2 and was its second straight defeat after a 4-0 start.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Faces Added Defensive Attention as the Thunder's Injury List Grows

Without his usual supporting cast, Gilgeous-Alexander had little help, and the Rockets took advantage. The Thunder shot 44% from the field and just 10-of-32 from three.

The game got away from them early. Houston scored 35 points in the first quarter to build a nine-point lead, then used an 18-4 run in the second quarter to go up 55-34. Oklahoma City closed the half on a 17-8 run to cut the deficit to 62-51, but the Rockets opened the third with an 8-0 run to push the lead to 19, and it never dropped below 12 the rest of the way.

Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 points, and Marcus Smart added 24 for Houston, which made 18 of 41 three-pointers. Durant only needed 14 points, as the Rockets' depth did the work.

Oklahoma City’s support came mostly from players in bigger roles. Kenrich Williams and Bennett Stirtz each scored 11 points, while Isaiah Hartenstein and Jared McCain had 10 apiece, though McCain went 0-for-5 from three. The production was there, but it came from players filling in, not from the starters who are out.

The video and the boos describe the same night from two angles. The crowd treated Gilgeous-Alexander as the star of a rival team with boos, while the clip showed a player who looked worn down as the injury list grew.

Oklahoma City is 4-2, but Holmgren is expected back in late December or January. Wallace is facing a five-to-six-month recovery after shoulder surgery, and Williams, who fractured his left fibula and dislocated his ankle, has had surgery but has no return timeline yet.

Until the Thunder get healthier, Gilgeous-Alexander will keep drawing the attention of defenses and the boos of opposing crowds.