Thunder's Alex Caruso: Tallies three steals in loss
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Caruso chipped in two points (0-3 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds and three steals over 24 minutes during Tuesday's 97-81 loss to the Bucks.
Caruso failed to produce anything else of note besides the steals. When healthy, Caruso has typically played a limited role off the bench for the Thunder, highlighting the depth of their roster. His on-court impact is generally far greater than the impact he has on the scoresheet, as he's achieved double digits in points just once over his last five outings.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Posts well-rounded line in return
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Caruso (hip) tallied eight points (3-7 FG, 2-3 3Pt), four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block across 17 minutes in Thursday's 129-92 win over the Raptors.
In his return from a five-game absence due to a right hip strain, Caruso brought his usual contributions in the defensive categories, but he also complemented the pair of defensive counters with some quality perimeter shooting. In his 13 appearances with the Thunder prior to his recent absence, Caruso had been converting at a lowly 20.5 percent rate from distance. If he can continue to bring that rate closer to the 40.8 percent he shot from three-point land as a member of the Bulls in 2023-24, Caruso could start to earn more minutes in a crowded Thunder wing rotation.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Cleared to play Thursday
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Caruso (hip) is off the injury report for Thursday's game against Toronto.
Caruso appears set to return following a five-game absence due to a right hip strain. Oklahoma City may limit his playing time, but the 30-year-old should slot back into the wing rotation. Caruso is averaging an impressive 1.8 steals and 0.7 blocks in 19.8 minutes per game over his 13 outings on the season, but he's shooting just 35.6 percent from the field.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Remains out Tuesday vs. Utah
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Caruso (hip) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Jazz.
Caruso will be sidelined for a fifth straight game Tuesday due to a lingering hip issue. His next chance to play will be against the Raptors on Thursday, but it's not clear how close the 30-year-old guard is to a return.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Out again vs. Rockets
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Caruso (hip) will remain sidelined for Sunday's game against the Rockets, Clemente Almanza of USA Today reports.
Caruso has been hindered by a nagging hip injury that has limited him to just two appearances since Nov. 13. There is no word on how close he is to a return. The stud wing defender's next opportunity to suit up will come Tuesday against the Jazz.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Remains out Friday
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Caruso (hip) is out for Friday's game against the Lakers.
Caruso won't be able to face one of his former teams due to a nagging hip injury that has limited him to just two appearances since Nov. 13. His next chance to play will come against the Rockets on Sunday.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Out for Wednesday
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Caruso (hip) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Warriors.
Caruso has already missed four of the club's last six outings, and he will now miss his second consecutive game due to a lingering right hip strain. With the 30-year-old sidelined, Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins will likely see an uptick in playing time. Caruso's next chance to play will come Friday against the Lakers.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Won't play Monday
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Caruso (hip) is out for Monday's game against the Kings.
Caruso exited Wednesday's game against the Trail Blazers early after aggravating a right hip injury that is now holding him out of Monday's contest. With Isaiah Joe (calf, questionable) also dealing with injury, the Thunder could be shorthanded at the wing spots, leaving ample minutes for Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Aggravates hip injury
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Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said that Caruso didn't return to Wednesday's 109-99 win over the Trail Blazers after aggravating a right hip injury in the third quarter, Rylan Stiles of FanSided.com reports. He generated 17 points (8-11 FG, 1-2 3Pt), two assists, two steals and one rebound across 15 minutes before leaving.
Caruso missed three straight games with right hip soreness before returning to action in Tuesday's loss to the Spurs. Though he was cleared to play in the second half of the back-to-back set, Caruso was unable to make it through the full game before departing. Caruso will have some added time to heal up from the injury, as the Thunder won't play again until Monday at Sacramento.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Heads to locker room
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Caruso went back to the locker room during Wednesday's game against the Trail Blazers, Clemente Almanza of USA Today reports.
Caruso went back to the locker room at the end of the third quarter with an undisclosed injury. If he misses time, expect Ajay Mitchell and Dillon Jones to see more minutes.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Not listed on injury report
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Caruso (hip) isn't listed on the injury report for Tuesday's game against the Spurs.
Caruso missed three straight games due to a sore right hip but will return to action versus San Antonio. However, Tuesday's game is the first half of a back-to-back set, so it's possible the veteran is back in street clothes for Wednesday's home game against the Trail Blazers. With Isaiah Joe (calf) sidelined Tuesday, Caruso's presence will be a big boost to the Thunder, who are coming off a disappointing two-point loss to a Mavericks team without Luka Doncic on Sunday.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Still out against Dallas
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Caruso (hip) won't play in Sunday's game versus the Mavericks.
Caruso will miss his third straight contest Sunday due to right hip soreness. The 30-year-old guard's next chance to suit up is Tuesday's matchup with San Antonio.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Won't play against Phoenix
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Caruso (hip) is out for Friday's game versus the Suns.
Caruso will miss his second straight contest Friday due to right hip soreness. Ajay Mitchell and Cason Wallace will likely continue to receive increased playing time in his absence. Caruso's next chance to suit up is Sunday's matchup with Dallas.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Ruled out for Wednesday
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Caruso won't play Wednesday against the Pelicans due to right hip soreness.
Caruso will miss his first game of the season due to the injury. With the veteran guard sidelined, players such as Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace will be candidates to absorb more minutes. Caruso should be considered day-to-day in advance of the Thunder's next game Friday against the Suns.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Season-high 12 points Monday
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Caruso ended Monday's 134-128 victory over the Clippers with 12 points (4-7 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds and one steal across 20 minutes.
Caruso led the bench in scoring while posting a season-high 12 points in the win. The 30-year-old has struggled offensively through 11 regular-season outings, during which he has averaged 4.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting 30.9 percent from the floor across 19.5 minutes per game. While Caruso shouldn't be expected to provide double-digit scoring on a nightly basis, his defensive abilities have been crucial off the bench for the Thunder, and he'll likely continue to receive significant playing time in a stacked rotation.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Offense still behind defense
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Caruso closed with two points (1-9 FG, 0-3 3Pt), six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and four steals in 22 minutes during Wednesday's 124-122 loss to the Nuggets.
Caruso could not find his touch in Wednesday's loss and has yet to score more than six points in a game. His 23.7 field-goal percentage is frustrating for fantasy managers, not to mention his 19.9 minutes per game. Still, Caruso is providing 2.0 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. If steals are what you're looking for, he's delivering. Eventually, he'll start shooting more efficiently, and maybe his minutes will increase along with it.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Muted role continues
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Caruso recorded three points (1-3 FG, 1-2 3Pt), five assists and one steal in 21 minutes during Monday's 102-86 win over the Magic.
Caruso's role coming into the season was up in the air, and given what we have seen to this point, it appears as though the Thunder are going to throw him out there for no more than 22 minutes per night. His impact on the defensive end goes without saying, as highlighted by his 2.3 combined steals and blocks per game. With the Thunder sitting atop the Western Conference and looking as though they are once again going to challenge for the title, it is hard to envisage Caruso's role changing anytime soon.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Tallies four steals in win
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Caruso posted zero points (0-5 FG, 0-3 3Pt), four steals, two rebounds and two assists across 22 minutes during Wednesday's 105-93 victory over the Spurs.
Though the Thunder have used three different starting lineups in their first four games, Caruso has yet to get a look on the top unit, with Cason Wallace (two starts), Isaiah Joe (one) and Aaron Wiggins (one) all getting looks at the open spot on the wing next to Luguentz Dort. Caruso hasn't been able to pick up extensive playing time off the bench, as he's fallen between 19 and 22 minutes in the first four contests. With averages of 2.3 steals and 1.0 blocks through four outings, Caruso has shown that he doesn't need an abundance of playing time to post useful defensive production, but his other numbers will likely remain underwhelming if he continues to see under 25 minutes per game.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Not starting Thursday
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Caruso is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Nuggets, Nick Gallo of the Thunder's official site reports.
The Thunder acquired Caruso in a trade with the Bulls in the offseason, and while he was expected to start, he'll come off the bench in the season opener. Isaiah Joe will start in the backcourt alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Moves to bench
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Caruso isn't in the starting lineup for Tuesday's preseason game versus the Nuggets, Nick Gallo of the Thunder's official site reports.
Caruso will be replaced by Isaiah Hartenstein in the starting lineup Tuesday. While Caruso is expected to start once the regular season rolls around, it appears Oklahoma City is experimenting with lineups during the preseason.
