George Hill out with thumb sprain; Theo Maledon gets first start of NBA career
Oklahoma City Thunder guard George Hill suffered a right thumb sprain, head coach Mark Daigneault said prior to the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.
Daigneault said the X-rays came back negative and the team was unsure of the severity of the injury.
“It’s just a matter of getting the ability grip the basketball back,” he said.
Hill, who is averaging 11.8 points this season, scored 22 against the Los Angeles Clippers and made three 3s in a row in the fourth quarter of the 108-100 loss.
In his place in the starting lineup against the Blazers is guard Theo Maledon. It’s the rookie’s first start in the NBA.
Maledon has averaged just under 20 minutes over the first 15 games of his NBA career. Over that time, he is averaging 6.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.
He has crossed the double-digit points threshold twice: in the Jan. 2 win over the Orlando Magic and the Jan. 15 win over the Chicago Bulls.
Maledon was drafted No. 34 overall. The Thunder acquired his rights in the Al Horford-Danny Green deal with the Philadelphia 76ers that was reported on draft night but not formalized until December.
The rookie comes from France, where he played three seasons in LNB Pro A, the top league in the country. He also played in two EuroCups and once in the EuroLeague.
Over his final EuroLeague competition, he averaged 7.4 points and 3.1 assists in 17.7 minutes per game. He appeared in 22 games.
