The Oklahoma City Thunder may be without Jalen Williams due to a hamstring injury once again.
Williams went down early in the second half on Wednesday night during their 120-107 win over the Phoenix Suns. That victory at the Paycom Center gave the Thunder a 2-0 lead in their opening-round playoff series as it shifts to Phoenix later this week for the first time.
Advertisement
Williams missed a layup midway through the third quarter and pulled up awkwardly under the basket as play started moving the other way, immediately looking bothered. He didn’t leave the game right away, but Williams was clearly shaken up and in a significant amount of pain.
After trying to play through a few possessions, Williams eventually subbed himself out and motioned to his left hamstring as he did so.
Williams eventually limped back to the locker room, and did not return. Further specifics of his injury are not yet known.
Though Williams has missed extensive time this season, his fourth in the league, with a hamstring injury, his injury on Wednesday night is a new one. Williams missed 49 games largely due to a hamstring strain in his right leg earlier this season. Williams underwent surgery on his wrist in July after helping the Thunder to their NBA Finals win last season, and missed the start of the regular season this campaign because of it.
Advertisement
But despite his limited action, Williams averaged 17.1 points and 5.5 assists per game this season and helped the Thunder to the top seed in the Western Conference. He had 22 points and seven rebounds in the Thunder’s 119-84 win in Game 1 of the series.
Williams had 19 points and shot 7-of-11 from the field when he went down on Wednesday. Despite his early departure, the Thunder carried a 23-point lead into the final period and then held on late and survived one final Phoenix push to grab the 13-point win.
Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 30 points in the loss after he went 5-of-9 from the 3-point line. Devin Booker finished with 22 points and seven rebounds, and Jalen Green had 21 points. The Suns had 21 turnovers.
Advertisement
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 37 points and nine assists. Chet Holmgren finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, and Ajay Mitchell added 14 points off the bench.
While the Thunder have not had any real issues so far in the playoffs, losing Williams for a significant amount of time would undoubtedly change the series and open the door a bit for the Suns as they hit their home court. And, based on Williams’ injury history in recent months, it’s hard to imagine the Thunder would be in a hurry to get him back on the floor.
Read the full article here