The Thunder evened up the Western Conference Finals up at one win apiece on Wednesday, but Jalen Williams got hurt in the process. The star forward exited with a left hamstring injury in the first quarter and did not return.
Williams will be evaluated on a day-to-day and game-by-game basis, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday. He’s currently listed as questionable ahead of Friday’s Game 3 in San Antonio.
The hamstring Williams injured in Game 2 is the same hamstring that he hurt in the first round of these playoffs. Williams missed six straight games with the injury, so this news is obviously worrisome for the Thunder.
During these playoffs, Williams is averaging 17.8 points per game on 52.7% shooting and ranks third on Oklahoma City in plus/minus. The Thunder are 28-9 with Williams sidelined this season, and they won Game 2 despite him playing only seven minutes. Still, beating this ascending Spurs team in this series will be a challenge if Williams misses any games.
If Williams is out for Game 3, expect Cason Wallace to start and both Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein to see more minutes. With Williams’ status in question, the Thunder enter Game 3 as a 1.5-point underdog — a rare sight for the defending champs, who have only been an underdog four times this season. Oklahoma City is just 1-3 in those situations.
