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.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Will start Wednesday
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Caruso will start Wednesday's preseason game against the Rockets, Clemente Almanza of USA Today reports.
Caruso didn't start Monday's preseason opener against the Spurs. However, the Thunder had an unusual starting lineup that night due to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort resting. Caruso will be joined in the first five Wednesday by Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, with Isaiah Hartenstein notably coming off the bench again.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Not part of starting linuep
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Caruso won't start Monday's preseason game against the Spurs, Rylan Stiles of FanSided.com reports.
Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein have been omitted from the starting lineup, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort rest. Jalen Williams will run the point versus San Antonio, with Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins on the wings.
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Thunder's Alex Caruso: Traded to Oklahoma City
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Caruso was traded from the Bulls to the Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey on Thursday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
After spending the first four years of his career with the Lakers, Caruso played in Chicago over the past three seasons. He had a career-best year during the 2023-24 campaign, averaging 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals in 28.7 minutes per game while making 71 regular-season appearances. The 30-year-old will join a talented Thunder squad that finished last season as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and he'll provide a solid shooting presence as long as he can remain healthy during the 2024-25 season. Caruso is entering the final year of his contract, but the Thunder hope to sign him to a long-term extension at some point, per Wojnarowski.
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Bulls' Alex Caruso: Officially cleared to play
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Caruso (ankle) is available for Friday's Play-In Game against Miami.
There was initial concern regarding the severity of Caruso's ankle injury that he suffered Wednesday against Atlanta, but he was examined further Thursday, which showed reduced swelling. He said Friday morning that he expected to play against the Heat, and he's officially been cleared to suit up in the win-or-go-home matchup. Over his six appearances this month, he's averaged 8.8 points, 5.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 steals in 32.3 minutes per game.
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Bulls' Alex Caruso: Expects to play Friday
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Caruso (ankle), who is questionable for Friday's Play-In Game against the Heat, said that he expects to play in the matchup, Jamal Collier of ESPN.com reports.
Caruso was initially believed to have a significant left ankle sprain, but he experienced reduced swelling Thursday. It appears increasingly likely that the 30-year-old will be available for Friday's win-or-go-home matchup, but the Bulls will likely continue to monitor him in the hours leading up to tipoff.
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Bulls' Alex Caruso: Likely to be game-time decision
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Caruso (ankle), who is questionable for Friday's Play-In Game against the Heat, underwent further evaluation Thursday that revealed reduced swelling, creating increased optimism that he'll be available for the win-or-go-home matchup against Miami, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Wojnarowski reported Wednesday night that Caruso had sustained a "significant" left ankle sprain against Atlanta, which put his availability for Friday's matchup in doubt. However, the 30-year-old appears to be trending in the right direction and will likely be a game-time decision as the Bulls attempt to secure the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. If Caruso is unavailable against Miami, Javonte Green, Torrey Craig and Dalen Terry could see additional playing time.
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Bulls' Alex Caruso: Questionable to play Friday
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Caruso (ankle) is questionable to play Friday against the Heat.
The Bulls are facing a win-or-go-home scenario Friday against the Heat, and the potential loss of Caruso would be massive due to his ability on defense and contributions across the board. However, he's dealing with a "significant" ankle sprain, so his status against Miami is in doubt, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. Javonte Green, Torrey Craig and Dalen Terry would be the main candidates to take on more minutes if Caruso ends up being ruled out.
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Bulls' Alex Caruso: Dealing with ankle injury
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Caruso generated six points (2-3 FG, 2-3 3Pt), two rebounds, two assists and one steal during 17 minutes of Wednesday's 131-116 win over the Hawks. He noted after the game that he sprained his left ankle during the contest, Cody Westerlund of 670TheScore.com reports.
Caruso missed portions of the first half after a collision with teammate Andre Drummond. While Caruso managed to return to the game, he was subbed out with 9:43 to play in the third quarter and didn't check back in. Caruso's status is certainly up in the air for Friday's matchup with Miami in the final game of the Play-In Tournament and is worth monitoring ahead of the contest. If Caruso ends up sitting, Javonte Green, Torrey Craig and Dalen Terry would be the main candidates to take on more minutes.
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Bulls' Alex Caruso: Checks back in
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Caruso (foot) has returned to Wednesday's Play-In Tournament game against the Hawks,
Caruso took a brief trip to the locker room late in the first quarter after colliding with Andre Drummond. However, Caruso has checked back into the contest and should be good to go.
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Bulls' Alex Caruso: Exits game
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Caruso went back to the locker room during Wednesday's game against the Hawks with what appeared to be a right foot injury, Cody Westerlund of 670TheScore.com reports.
Andre Drummond stepped on Caruso's foot in transition and ran over Caruso at half-court. Caruso quickly removed himself from the game and limped back to the locker room. He should be considered questionable to return.
