Nick Collison missed his first game of the season Tuesday against Atlanta because of a broken bone in his left thumb. Collison, the team's starting center, is listed as day-to-day and hopes the injury won't sideline him for an extended period. But Collison said he can't grip anything firmly with his left hand, and he will have to play with a hard plastic cast over the thumb when he returns.
"I tried to catch the ball (Tuesday), and it was really painful," Collison said. "(The medical staff) told me I can't really damage it too much more, but I don't want to be (ineffective). If I can't catch I can't really play. So we'll just have to see how it goes." Collison said he suffered the injury on Sunday when an outlet pass by Cleveland guard Sasha Pavlovic hit his hand at point-blank range.
SMITH GETS THE START
With Collison out, veteran forward Joe Smith got his first start of the season, marking the Thunder's eighth different starting lineup this year. Brooks went with Smith over Chris Wilcox, Johan Petro and Robert Swift.
"We're happy with the way Joe's been playing," said Thunder coach Scott Brooks before the Hawks game. "He's a veteran that we need and we like, and he extends the floor with his outside shooting. We're looking for good things tonight and the next couple games out of him."
SWIFT RETURNS
As expected, Swift returned to the lineup Tuesday, ending a month-long absence due to a back injury and a minor foot injury. Brooks said he plans to ease Swift back into the lineup by monitoring his minutes.
Swift, who hasn't played since Nov. 19, played five minutes, going scoreless with three rebounds.
BRIEFLY
Smith's first start of the season was derailed midway through the first quarter when he suffered a bloody nose courtesy of an unintentional shot to the face by teammate Jeff Green. ... No one was happier during Tuesday's road trip than Damien Wilkins, who played college ball at Georgia. Wilkins scored a career-high 41 points in the Sonics' lone visit to Atlanta last season, eliciting one courtside fan to welcome back the former Bulldog by playfully saying, "Take it easy on us this time."... The ThunderShop at Leadership Square in downtown Oklahoma City sold most of its limited supply of youth-size Kevin Durant and Desmond Mason jerseys but has a small quantity remaining, including baby sizes and pink girls jerseys.
