The Thunder came away with a 120-107 win over the Suns in Game 2 to take a resounding 2-0 lead in their first-round series. But despite a win tonight, the defending champions have faced a major setback as they lost Jalen Williams to a hamstring injury in the third quarter.
Jalen Williams tried to walk off the injury, but couldn’t do it, so he checked out of the game and headed to the locker room. The former All-NBA player had previously injured the right hamstring, which kept him out of significant games in the regular season. And now he has hurt his left hamstring and did not return for the rest of the night.
Jalen Williams gets injured on his left hamstring.
He is questionable to return.
Here is the entire video in one bit. https://t.co/9yEqCT74iP pic.twitter.com/INplXqaJWC
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) April 23, 2026
Following the game, Dr. Evan Jeffries, the NBA and NFL’s injury insider and a sports injury expert, gave his initial prognosis based on what he saw on social media.
“Jalen Williams left tonight’s game with a left hamstring injury. He had TWO right hamstring strains earlier in the year that caused him to miss significant time throughout the season. MRI will determine if there is a hamstring strain and its severity. The healing timeline is as follows: Tightness: Day to Day, Grade I: 1-2 weeks, Grade II: 3-6 weeks,” he wrote on X.
Therefore, Williams’ timeline for return depends on the diagnosis that the medical staff has after conducting an MRI and thorough follow-up tests. If it is just tightness, then he might be only day-to-day and could play in the next game itself.
However, if he is diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, he could be sidelined until June, and his return will be based on whether the Thunder can qualify for the NBA Finals without him. Therefore, there is a realistic chance that Williams’ season may be over tonight.
The Thunder star’s season has been plagued with injuries, from his wrist surgery to now, both his hamstrings over a short period, which have severely hindered his contributions this year.
The former All-NBA player averaged only 17.1 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.6 rebounds in the 33 games he played this season while shooting 48.4% from the field and 29.9% from beyond the arc.
Williams was undoubtedly crucial in the Thunder’s championship run last season as he was clearly the second-best player on the floor for the Thunder, behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
But can the Thunder repeat their playoff success without him? It will be very interesting to see if the defending champions can continue their winning ways without him, as they hope for Williams’ speedy recovery.
