NBA Notes: Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jazz, Keyonte George, Celtics

Thunder

The Thunder welcomed back Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Friday, but with limits.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points with nine assists in 34 minutes after missing nine games with an abdominal strain. He did not play in overtime because of a preplanned minutes restriction.

“They kind of had no choice because if they tried that on the fly, I wasn’t gonna go,” he said with a laugh, via The Oklahoman’s Justin Martinez. “If I re-injure this injury, all of it and everything that we’ve done up to this point doesn’t matter.”

Coach Mark Daigneault informed him beforehand that overtime could be off limits.

Jazz

Jazz guard Keyonte George returned to the starting lineup Saturday after missing six games with a right ankle sprain.

George said he felt good but will be limited to roughly 20-24 minutes.

“Feet are the most precious thing for any athlete,” he said, via The Salt Lake Tribune’s Kevin Reynolds. “Just want to be cautious.”

Celtics

Celtics center Neemias Queta reflected recently on becoming the NBA’s first player from Portugal, in a thorough piece from Andscape’s Marc J. Spears.

“It’s a blessing that I don’t take lightly,” Queta said. “I just want to do the best I can so I can put the best version of our culture on the map.”

Boston holds a team option on Queta for 2026-27.