SAN FRANCISCO — Mark Daigneault paused his walk toward Tuesday’s practice scrum at Chase Center, coughing into his sleeve. Apologies, he noted — those were the remnants of the illness that left him masked in New York.
It’s just that time of year.
Everyone’s sick. Hurt. Broken down. Trudging through the dog days of the season. Sprains and strains are as airborne as illness.
Isaiah Hartenstein just returned from a calf strain. Isaiah Joe just returned from illness. Last year’s January was less than generous to the Thunder, a slate unfit to be packed into 30 days like a can of sardines.
As this one comes to a close — with a 10-3 record to this point — OKC was afforded a unique week of rest: Two days off before its date with the Warriors on Wednesday, and two days off before its next game vs. the Kings on Feb. 1.
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Hartenstein, who learned how teams handle this chunk of the season — for better or worse — feels this unit hardly needs the rest.
“We have a good mix of guys who just take it day by day,” Hartenstein said. “And so I think when you take it day by day and not focus too much on All-Star coming up or your next break or something, I think you still stay in it. But yeah, there’s always a mental game to it.”
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Cason Wallace selected for Rising Stars game
The NBA announced its participants for the Rising Stars Challenge, All-Star weekend’s Friday prelude composed of freshmen and sophomores. For a second straight year, Thunder guard Cason Wallace was listed among them.
The 6-foot-4 sophomore has averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 44 games, starting in 30. He’s missed just one of the Thunder’s games, currently playing through a nasal fracture.
Wallace has bolstered his reputation as a defender this season. He’s fourth in total steals in the NBA (behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams) with 76, an honorable substitute to contain a player when Lu Dort is off the court — or simply an admirable disruptor in his own right.
This year’s format for the Rising Stars challenge remains the same, a mini tournament consisting of four teams and three games. The team that wins this year’s game will be added among the pool of team’s for Sunday’s new All-Star Game format.
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Pair of Thunder games added to local TV
Those betting on FanDuel or streaming of any kind won’t need to fret for at least two games.
Griffin Media’s KWTV-9 will air the Thunder’s game against Sacramento on Saturday and its Feb. 8 game in Memphis, the station said in a release Tuesday.
The Thunder and Griffin Media experimented with a handful of games a year ago. These are the first such opportunities this season for local fans to watch the Thunder without streaming outlets.
These games will still air on FanDuel Sports Network and any other streaming platform fans have used to this point, only now they’ll be available locally also.
OKC Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors
TIPOFF: 9 p.m. Wednesday at Chase Center in San Francisco (FDSN, ESPN)
