OKC Thunder Sports Minute

Join the club. That's what the Oklahoma City Thunder has done over the last week —joined other NBA teams with COVID-19 issues.

The Thunder was without six players and head coach Mark Daigneault during a 117-111 loss at Sacramento on Dec. 28 and 115-97 setback to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.

All were in health and safety protocols, just like many other coaches and players throughout the league.

OKC added three players from the minor league Blue to fill out the roster, and assistant coach Mike Wilks took over for Daigneault.

Despite it all, the Thunder darn near won the game at Sacramento. They hung with Phoenix, which has the best record in the NBA, for three quarters before running out of gas.

And the Knicks on Friday? The Thunder splashed 18 3-pointers and came away with a 95-80 victory at Paycom Center, the team's most lopsided win of the 2021-22 season.

Check out what else Thunder beat writer Joe Mussatto has to say about a crippled team that at times doesn't look like it's missing key personnel.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder: NBA Thunder hangs tough during Mark Daigneault's absence