Two minutes after entering the game in the first quarter, Mitchell was injured following contact with Suns player Devin Booker while attempting a layup. The Liégeois remained on the floor until the end of the first quarter and did not return to the game thereafter.
The Thunder then announced that Mitchell was suffering from a “left knee bruise“. An injury which did not prevent OKC from signing an 11th victory in a row, the 19th in 20 matches, in the wake of MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (37 points) and qualifying for the quarter-finals of the NBA Cup where they will meet Phoenix.
The Thunder remains the undisputed leader of the Western Conference ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers who scored a 6th consecutive success against Dallas (129-119). Austin Reaves (38 points) and others will also play the quarterfinals of the NBA mid-season tournament against San Antonio who overthrew Denver (136-139). The Spurs climb to 4th place in the West behind Houston, 3rd, and ahead of the Nuggets, 5th.
In the East, New York, Orlando and Miami joined Toronto in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, scheduled for December 9 and 10. The Knicks took over Milwaukee (118-109), the Magic over Detroit (109-112) and the Heat took advantage of the defeats of Detroit and Cleveland in Atlanta (130-123) to finish best 2nd.
The quarter-finals will pit Toronto against New York and Orlando against Miami. Detroit still dominates the Eastern Conference ahead of Toronto, Miami, New York and Atlanta.
