Tim MacMahon
Multiple Authors
Oklahoma City Thunder star ahead Jalen Williams sustained a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and will probably be reevaluated weekly, the crew introduced Thursday afternoon.
The harm will sideline Williams for no less than Saturday’s Game 3 and Monday’s Game 4 of the Thunder’s first-round collection towards the Phoenix Suns, in addition to Game 5 if needed on Wednesday.
Williams suffered the harm in the course of the third quarter of Oklahoma City’s 120-107 win in Wednesday’s Game 2, which gave the defending champion Thunder a 2-0 collection lead.
Williams grabbed his left leg and motioned towards the bench after lacking a contested layup on a quick break with 6:26 remaining within the third quarter. He appeared to mouth the phrases “left hammy” and deliberately took a foul a few possessions later so he may exit the sport and instantly headed to the locker room for additional analysis.
He didn’t communicate to the media earlier than leaving the Paycom Center.
Williams’ postseason was off to a spectacular begin after accidents restricted him to 33 video games in the course of the common season. He had 22 factors, seven rebounds and 6 assists within the Thunder’s Game 1 blowout win and adopted that up with 19 factors on 7-of-11 capturing and 4 assists in 23 minutes in Game 2.
“I thought he was playing great obviously,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault mentioned after the win. “He was on the gas. He had great force. He was hitting shots. Got really good shots for his teammates, especially early. So yeah, he was playing an outstanding game.”
Williams, a third-team All-NBA choice final season, performed your complete playoffs final 12 months with a torn scapholunate ligament in his proper wrist, delaying an operation till after Oklahoma City’s championship run. He missed the primary 19 video games of the 2025-26 season whereas recovering from that surgical procedure and twice missed prolonged stretches due to a proper hamstring strain that he aggravated throughout a 28-point, 11-of-12 capturing efficiency in a Feb. 11 win over the Suns.
Oklahoma City went 39-10 with out Williams within the lineup this season.
