Oso Ighodaro is doubtful for the Suns’ Monday game in Oklahoma City with a right oblique strain

Oso Ighodaro is doubtful for the Phoenix Suns‘ game at the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday with a strained right oblique, which would leave Phoenix thin in the middle for the second game in a row.

The league’s official injury report, updated Sunday evening, lists Ighodaro as doubtful. If he sits, it will be his second straight absence. Mark Williams remains out after surgery on his left shoulder, and two-way forward Drew Timme is on G League assignment. Oklahoma City had not filed its report yet.

Ighodaro got hurt in the season opener at the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, October 21, when he took a hit near his right hip. He had eight points on 4-of-7 shooting in 14:36 before the Suns ruled him out for the rest of a 124-83 loss. The injury was later identified as an oblique strain. Coach Jordan Ott told reporters the team hopes it is a short-term problem, and no timeline has been announced.

Status alert: Oso Ighodaro (hip) won't return Wednesday.

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) October 22, 2026

A new contract, and a thin center group

The timing stings for both sides. Ighodaro agreed to a three-year, $29 million extension in mid-October, as Shams Charania reported, after a 2025-26 season in which he started 24 of 82 games and averaged 6.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in 22.0 minutes. He was in the starting five for Phoenix’s playoff games last spring.

Williams’ absence is the bigger, longer one. He had surgery in September to repair a torn labrum, and Arizona Sports reporter John Gambadoro has projected at least five months of recovery. That has pushed rookie Khaman Maluach into the starting job sooner than expected.

What it means against Oklahoma City

Maluach handled a heavier load in Saturday’s 131-122 win over the Golden State Warriors, playing 27:36 with nine points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks, while Devin Booker scored 43. Duop Reath played only 3:10 behind him. Rebounding is the clear weakness: Portland grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and Golden State 19, so the Suns are allowing 17.5 a game, the most in the league.

That is a hard number to carry into Paycom Center. The unbeaten Thunder host the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night, so Monday is the second half of a back-to-back for them. Every status for the game is on our NBA injury report page.

What comes next

The Suns and Thunder tip off on Monday, October 26, at 8 p.m. ET (3 a.m. Tuesday in Cairo): Suns at Thunder Game Center. Phoenix then has three days off before it hosts the Denver Nuggets on Friday, October 30, at 10 p.m. ET, the next chance for Ighodaro to return: Nuggets at Suns Game Center.