The Oklahoma City Thunder have suffered a major injury setback tonight as they faced off against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of their Western Conference Finals series. Just six minutes into the game, the Thunder sent most of their starters to the bench in what seemed like an odd move by Mark Daigneault’s staff.
But moments later, Jalen Williams was seen heading to the locker room. The Thunder played most of the first half without Jalen Williams, and eventually, at the beginning of the second half, it was confirmed that the 25-year-old star player would not return for the rest of the night.
According to ESPN’s NBA insider, Tim McMahon, Williams was seen getting treatment on his left hamstring, the same hamstring that he strained that sidelined him for six games in the playoffs. Therefore, Jalen Williams was ruled out of returning due to left hamstring tightness.
His night ended with just four points, one rebound, and two steals recorded on the box score as he went 2-4 from the field in less than six minutes played.
Unfortunately, the Thunder have lost their second option scorer in a must-win game tonight. The Thunder had a commanding 51-62 lead at the half and still looked like they could pull off this win without Williams.
But on the road, when the San Antonio crowd is rallying against them in Games 3 and 4, they will require Williams’ presence if they hope to have any chance of winning those games against the surging Spurs.
Williams previously admitted that he had been taking a cautious approach while recovering from his injury and not rushing back in the first two series, where the defending champions were sweeping their opponents. Despite delaying his return to ensure he’s fully healthy, it did not take long for his injury to get aggravated once again.
If Game 1 was a reflection of anything, it was that the Thunder needed to figure out an answer for Victor Wembanyama, who destroyed them with 41 points and 24 rebounds. The former All-Defensive Second Team member could have been pivotal in doing that.
According to Dr. Evan Jeffries, the NBA’s injury insider, this injury puts Williams’ status in jeopardy for the rest of this series. But considering that the injury has not been elevated to the status of a ‘strain’ to his hamstring is a positive sign for the Thunder; however, they will likely conduct more medical examinations before confirming whether or not Jalen Williams’ series and potentially season, is over.
