Browsing: GilgeousAlexander

OKLAHOMA CITY — Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said Sunday that he and his family are safe after a break-in at his Oklahoma City-area home last week while the NBA’s reigning MVP was playing a home game.

“Long story short, everybody’s safe, and that’s all that really matters in the whole thing,” Gilgeous-Alexander said Sunday after the Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans. “Everything else will come and go, but my loved ones are safe, so I’m OK. I’m happy.”

Police in the small enclave of Nichols Hills did not release new information on the break-in over the weekend, and a telephone message left Sunday with Nichols Hills Police Chief Steven Cox was not immediately returned.

Officers responded to a report of a burglary at the home around 7:45 p.m. Thursday, when the Thunder were playing at home against the Washington Wizards. Local news stations in Oklahoma City showed police at the home.

“The suspects fled the area prior to police arrival,” police said in a statement. “While no arrests have been made, there is no reason to believe the public is in any danger.”

Police have not said whether anyone was home at the time of the break-in or whether anything was taken from the home.

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The break-in mirrored a slew of burglaries at the homes of well-known professional athletes across the U.S. in recent months. The players have been targeted because of the high-end goods believed to be in their homes.

Athletes whose homes have been burglarized include the NFL’s Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Joe Burrow, the NBA’s Luka Doncic and the NHL’s Evgeni Malkin.

Law enforcement officials have previously warned sports leagues that thieves have been striking on game days when they knew the players would not be home, often smashing through rear windows.

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  Jamal CollierOct 24, 2025, 02:32 AM ET

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  Jamal Collier is an NBA reporter at ESPN. Collier covers the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls and the Midwest region of the NBA, including stories such as Minnesota’s iconic jersey swap between Anthony Edwards and Justin Jefferson. He has been at ESPN since Sept. 2021 and previously covered the Bulls for the Chicago Tribune. You can reach out to Jamal on Twitter @JamalCollier or via email Jamal.Collier@espn.com.

INDIANAPOLIS — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander let out a long exhale as he sat and leaned back in his chair in the postgame interview room Thursday night. The Oklahoma City Thunder had just finished their second straight double-overtime game to begin the season, something no other team in NBA history had ever done.

And for the second straight contest, the Thunder pulled off the victory, outlasting the Indiana Pacers 141-135 in a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals, which Oklahoma City won in an epic seven-game series in June.

“I’m tired, but it’s expected,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who set a career high with 55 points. “It’s a good way to break the ice on the season, shake the rust off, kind of bust the lungs up, get my cardio back.”

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Thunder coach Mark Daigneault had planned to limit his team’s minutes following its grueling victory over the Houston Rockets on opening night, and there was a moment in the first overtime period Thursday night — with the Thunder trailing 118-113 with 3:16 remaining — where he said it would have been easy to pump the breaks.

But Gilgeous-Alexander, who played 45 minutes Thursday after playing 47 minutes in Tuesday night’s opener, wanted to keep going and didn’t want to let a chance to win slip away.

“Two things. Being in the moment and understanding that we’re down five, it’s three minutes left, there’s a lot of time left,” he said. “Then also understanding the beginning of the season is just as important as the end of the season.

“The difference in home-court advantage in the playoffs could be one game and one win. We know firsthand home court in the playoffs is very helpful, especially when you go seven games. So we don’t ever want to take an opportunity for granted.”

In Thursday’s rematch, the Thunder were missing Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe and Alex Caruso but got big contributions from second-year guard Ajay Mitchell, who finished with a career-best 26 points off the bench.

“Everybody has a lot of trust in him and his talent,” Daigneault said about Mitchell. “But I think the steadiness in these two environments … in both games he didn’t really blink. So we knew the talent and impact, but sometimes it takes guys a little bit, they seem a little wide-eyed. That was not the case for him.”

Gilgeous-Alexander gave Mitchell a big hug as the final buzzer sounded, in part because of the exhaustion, but also because he wanted to commend the young guard for the best game of his career.

“Different guys stepping up,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “A lot of guys were stepping up tonight. Like, to play that much last game, obviously we’re a little banged up. This team never makes excuses. It’s always ready for their moment.”

The Pacers pushed the defending champs to their limit despite playing short-handed. Already without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton for the entire season, they also lost Aaron Nesmith, who fouled out in the fourth quarter, and Andrew Nembhard, who injured his left shoulder in the first half and did not return.

Carlisle said Nembhard will get further testing on his shoulder Friday but didn’t sound optimistic, saying the injury could “potentially present some big challenges.”

Still, the Pacers were able to push the champs to the brink again, just like they did during the Finals. Pascal Siakam had 32 points and 15 rebounds, and Bennedict Mathurin finished with 36 points and 11 rebounds.

“Grit is what our makeup is going to have to be this year,” Carlisle said. “There are going to be a lot of challenges. We’ve just got to be able to take on these challenges on a long-term basis.”

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While familiar names sit atop the preseason fantasy basketball rankings, the 2025-26 season has the potential to be a wild one, thanks to injuries that occurred either during the offseason or during last yearâ€s playoffs. Fred VanVleet‘s ACL tear means multiple players will be asked to do more in Houston, which may benefit Amen Thompson, Alperen Åžengün, and Reed Sheppard. And Achilles tendon tears suffered by Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, and Tyrese Haliburton will also be impactful.

While Lillardâ€s on-court return to Portland will be delayed, this will be a critical season for Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, whether weâ€re talking fantasy or “real†basketball. Boston lost multiple rotation players in the aftermath of Tatumâ€s injury; how will this impact Jaylen Brown and Derrick White? As for the Pacers, the combination of Haliburtonâ€s injury and Myles Turner moving to Milwaukee raises the ceilings of Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard, to name two. Below is our preseason top-200 ranking, led by Denverâ€s Nikola Jokić.

Your one-stop-shop for Rotoworldâ€s fantasy basketball draft coverage.

Rank

Position(s)

Player

Team

1

C

Nikola Jokić

Denver Nuggets

2

PG

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Oklahoma City Thunder

3

C

Victor Wembanyama

San Antonio Spurs

4

PG, SG

Luka DonÄić

Los Angeles Lakers

5

PF, C

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Milwaukee Bucks

6

PF, C

Anthony Davis

Dallas Mavericks

7

PG, SG

Cade Cunningham

Detroit Pistons

8

PF, C

Karl-Anthony Towns

New York Knicks

9

PG, SG

Anthony Edwards

Minnesota Timberwolves

10

PG, SG

Devin Booker

Phoenix Suns

11

PG

Trae Young

Atlanta Hawks

12

SF, PF

Kevin Durant

Houston Rockets

13

PG, SG

Donovan Mitchell

Cleveland Cavaliers

14

SF, PF

Jalen Williams

Oklahoma City Thunder

15

PG, SG, SF

Amen Thompson

Houston Rockets

16

PG

Stephen Curry

Golden State Warriors

17

PG, SG

James Harden

LA Clippers

18

C

Alperen Şengün

Houston Rockets

19

PG

Tyrese Maxey

Philadelphia 76ers

20

PF, C

Evan Mobley

Cleveland Cavaliers

21

C

Domantas Sabonis

Sacramento Kings

22

SF, PF

Jalen Johnson

Atlanta Hawks

23

PF, C

Pascal Siakam

Indiana Pacers

24

SG, SF, PF

Scottie Barnes

Toronto Raptors

25

PG

Jalen Brunson

New York Knicks

26

PF, C

Jaren Jackson Jr.

Memphis Grizzlies

27

PG, SG

Josh Giddey

Chicago Bulls

28

C

Myles Turner

Milwaukee Bucks

29

SF, PF

LeBron James

Los Angeles Lakers

30

PG, SG

LaMelo Ball

Charlotte Hornets

31

PF, C

Chet Holmgren

Oklahoma City Thunder

32

PF, C

Paolo Banchero

Orlando Magic

33

PG, SG

Deâ€Aaron Fox

San Antonio Spurs

34

SG, SF

Desmond Bane

Orlando Magic

35

PG, SG, SF

Dyson Daniels

Atlanta Hawks

36

PG, SG

Derrick White

Boston Celtics

37

SF, PF

Franz Wagner

Orlando Magic

38

PG, SG

Jamal Murray

Denver Nuggets

39

C

Bam Adebayo

Miami Heat

40

PG

Darius Garland

Cleveland Cavaliers

41

PG

Ja Morant

Memphis Grizzlies

42

SG, SF

Jaylen Brown

Boston Celtics

43

SF, PF

Kawhi Leonard

LA Clippers

44

SF, PF

Trey Murphy

New Orleans Pelicans

45

PG, SG

Austin Reaves

Los Angeles Lakers

46

C

Ivica Zubac

LA Clippers

47

C

Nikola VuÄević

Chicago Bulls

48

SF, PF

Deni Avdija

Portland Trail Blazers

49

SF

Cooper Flagg

Dallas Mavericks

50

SF, PF

Lauri Markkanen

Utah Jazz

51

C

Walker Kessler

Utah Jazz

52

C

Jarrett Allen

Cleveland Cavaliers

53

C

Kristaps Porziņģis

Atlanta Hawks

54

SF, PF

Zion Williamson

New Orleans Pelicans

55

SF, PF

OG Anunoby

New York Knicks

56

SF, PF

Jimmy Butler III

Golden State Warriors

57

SF, PF

Michael Porter Jr.

Brooklyn Nets

58

C

Joel Embiid

Philadelphia 76ers

59

PG, SG

Immanuel Quickley

Toronto Raptors

60

PF, C

Julius Randle

Minnesota Timberwolves

61

SF

DeMar DeRozan

Sacramento Kings

62

SF, PF

Mikal Bridges

New York Knicks

63

SF, PF

Brandon Miller

Charlotte Hornets

64

SF, PF

Ausar Thompson

Detroit Pistons

65

PG, SG

Jordan Poole

New Orleans Pelicans

66

PG, SG

Tyler Herro

Miami Heat

67

C

Mark Williams

Phoenix Suns

68

SG, SF, PF

Josh Hart

New York Knicks

69

SF, PF

Cameron Johnson

Denver Nuggets

70

PG, SG

Anfernee Simons

Boston Celtics

71

PG, SG

Zach LaVine

Sacramento Kings

72

C

Jalen Duren

Detroit Pistons

73

PG, SG

Andrew Nembhard

Indiana Pacers

74

PG, SG

Coby White

Chicago Bulls

75

SG, SF

Christian Braun

Denver Nuggets

76

SG, SF, PF

Brandon Ingram

Toronto Raptors

77

SF, PF

Miles Bridges

Charlotte Hornets

78

SG, SF

Norman Powell

Miami Heat

79

PG, SG

Jalen Green

Phoenix Suns

80

SG, SF

Cam Thomas

Brooklyn Nets

81

PG

Kyrie Irving

Dallas Mavericks

82

PG

Payton Pritchard

Boston Celtics

83

SG, SF

Devin Vassell

San Antonio Spurs

84

SF, PF

Tari Eason

Houston Rockets

85

SG, SF, PF

Paul George

Philadelphia 76ers

86

C

Donovan Clingan

Portland Trail Blazers

87

C

Onyeka Okongwu

Atlanta Hawks

88

SF, PF

Jaden McDaniels

Minnesota Timberwolves

89

PG

Dâ€Angelo Russell

Dallas Mavericks

90

PF, C

John Collins

LA Clippers

91

C

Jakob Poeltl

Toronto Raptors

92

C

Deandre Ayton

Los Angeles Lakers

93

C

Rudy Gobert

Minnesota Timberwolves

94

C

Isaiah Hartenstein

Oklahoma City Thunder

95

SG, SF

Bennedict Mathurin

Indiana Pacers

96

PG, SG

CJ McCollum

Washington Wizards

97

SG, SF

Bradley Beal

LA Clippers

98

PF, C

Draymond Green

Golden State Warriors

99

SF, PF

Keegan Murray

Sacramento Kings

100

SF, PF

Andrew Wiggins

Miami Heat

101

SG

Malik Monk

Sacramento Kings

102

PG, SG

Brandin Podziemski

Golden State Warriors

103

PF, C

Naz Reid

Minnesota Timberwolves

104

PF, C

Alex Sarr

Washington Wizards

105

SF, PF

Herbert Jones

New Orleans Pelicans

106

PF, C

Santi Aldama

Memphis Grizzlies

107

PF

Tobias Harris

Detroit Pistons

108

C

Nicolas Claxton

Brooklyn Nets

109

C

Dereck Lively II

Dallas Mavericks

110

C

Zach Edey

Memphis Grizzlies

111

PG, SG

Collin Sexton

Charlotte Hornets

112

C

Daniel Gafford

Dallas Mavericks

113

PF, C

Bobby Portis

Milwaukee Bucks

114

C

Yves Missi

New Orleans Pelicans

115

C

Mitchell Robinson

New York Knicks

116

PG, SG

Jaden Ivey

Detroit Pistons

117

SG, SF

Shaedon Sharpe

Portland Trail Blazers

118

C

Brook Lopez

LA Clippers

119

PG

Scoot Henderson

Portland Trail Blazers

120

C

Wendell Carter Jr.

Orlando Magic

121

PF, C

Kelâ€El Ware

Miami Heat

122

PG, SG

Cason Wallace

Oklahoma City Thunder

123

PG

Dennis Schröder

Sacramento Kings

124

PG, SG

Stephon Castle

San Antonio Spurs

125

SG, SF

Bilal Coulibaly

Washington Wizards

126

SF, PF

Toumani Camara

Portland Trail Blazers

127

SF, PF

Matas Buzelis

Chicago Bulls

128

SG, SF

Klay Thompson

Dallas Mavericks

129

PF, C

Jabari Smith Jr.

Houston Rockets

130

SG

VJ Edgecombe

Philadelphia 76ers

131

SG, SF

Donte DiVincenzo

Minnesota Timberwolves

132

PG, SG

Keyonte George

Utah Jazz

133

SG, SF

Kyshawn George

Washington Wizards

134

SF

Aaron Nesmith

Indiana Pacers

135

PG, SG

Dejounte Murray

New Orleans Pelicans

136

C

Isaiah Jackson

Indiana Pacers

137

PG, SG

Jrue Holiday

Portland Trail Blazers

138

PG

Chris Paul

LA Clippers

139

PF

Nikola Jović

Miami Heat

140

SF, PF

Taylor Hendricks

Utah Jazz

141

PG, SG

Kevin Porter Jr.

Milwaukee Bucks

142

PG, SG

Lonzo Ball

Cleveland Cavaliers

143

C

Jay Huff

Indiana Pacers

144

SF, PF

Deâ€Andre Hunter

Cleveland Cavaliers

145

PG, SG

Reed Sheppard

Houston Rockets

146

PG, SG

Davion Mitchell

Miami Heat

147

C

Khaman Maluach

Phoenix Suns

148

C

Adem Bona

Philadelphia 76ers

149

PG, SG

Marcus Smart

Los Angeles Lakers

150

C

Jonas ValanÄiÅ«nas

Denver Nuggets

151

SG

Dylan Harper

San Antonio Spurs

152

PF, C

Kyle Filipowski

Utah Jazz

153

PF, C

Al Horford

Golden State Warriors

154

SF, PF

Rui Hachimura

Los Angeles Lakers

155

SG, SF

Jaylen Wells

Memphis Grizzlies

156

PG

Mike Conley

Minnesota Timberwolves

157

SF, PF

PJ Washington

Dallas Mavericks

158

SF, PF

Khris Middleton

Washington Wizards

159

SF, PF

RJ Barrett

Toronto Raptors

160

SF, PF

Sam Hauser

Boston Celtics

161

PG, SG

Scotty Pippen Jr.

Memphis Grizzlies

162

SF, PF

Jerami Grant

Portland Trail Blazers

163

PF, C

Aaron Gordon

Denver Nuggets

164

PG, SG

Bub Carrington

Washington Wizards

165

SG, SF

Grayson Allen

Phoenix Suns

166

PG, SG

Jared McCain

Philadelphia 76ers

167

SG, SF

Quentin Grimes

Philadelphia 76ers

168

PG

Ty Jerome

Memphis Grizzlies

169

SG, SF

Alex Caruso

Oklahoma City Thunder

170

PG

Cole Anthony

Milwaukee Bucks

171

SF, PF

Brice Sensabaugh

Utah Jazz

172

C

Moussa Diabaté

Charlotte Hornets

173

PF, C

Chris Boucher

Boston Celtics

174

SG, SF

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Memphis Grizzlies

175

SF, PF

Ryan Dunn

Phoenix Suns

176

PG

TJ McConnell

Indiana Pacers

177

SG, SF

Gary Trent Jr.

Milwaukee Bucks

178

SG, SF

Aaron Wiggins

Oklahoma City Thunder

179

PF, C

Noah Clowney

Brooklyn Nets

180

SF, PF

Jonathan Kuminga

Golden State Warriors

181

C

Jusuf Nurkić

Utah Jazz

182

SG, SF

Duncan Robinson

Detroit Pistons

183

PF

Obi Toppin

Indiana Pacers

184

SF, PF

Dillon Brooks

Phoenix Suns

185

SF, PF

Naji Marshall

Dallas Mavericks

186

C

Yang Hansen

Portland Trail Blazers

187

SF

Ace Bailey

Utah Jazz

188

PG, SG

Miles McBride

New York Knicks

189

PF, C

Brandon Clarke

Memphis Grizzlies

190

SG, SF

Buddy Hield

Golden State Warriors

191

SG, SF

Ziaire Williams

Brooklyn Nets

192

SF, PF

Zaccharie Risacher

Atlanta Hawks

193

PG, SG

Anthony Black

Orlando Magic

194

C

Neemias Queta

Boston Celtics

195

PG, SG

Isaiah Collier

Utah Jazz

196

SF, PF

Royce Oâ€Neale

Phoenix Suns

197

PG

Russell Westbrook

Free Agent

198

PG

Tyus Jones

Orlando Magic

199

SF

Kon Knueppel

Charlotte Hornets

200

SF, PF

Kelly Oubre Jr.

Philadelphia 76ers

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While head-to-head leagues may grant fantasy managers some grace if their teams start slowly, that isn’t necessarily the case in…