Thunder lose star Jalen Williams for Western Conference Finals Game 7 as hamstring injury lingers

The Oklahoma City Thunder volition beryllium shorthanded successful Saturday’s pivotal Game 7, arsenic 1 of Oklahoma's cardinal contributors has been sidelined with an injury.

OKC defender Jalen Williams has been ruled retired for Game 7 with a hamstring issue, ESPN reported connected Friday. Williams appeared to aggravate his near hamstring during the Thunder’s 122-113 triumph successful Game 2. He missed the adjacent 3 games earlier returning for Game 6, but logged conscionable 10 minutes disconnected the seat successful Oklahoma City’s nonaccomplishment to the San Antonio Spurs connected Thursday, which forced a winner-take-all Game 7.

"He's evidently not 100%," Mark Daigneault, the caput manager of the Thunder, said.

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Oklahoma City Thunder defender Jalen Williams watches during the 4th fourth against the San Antonio Spurs successful Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals astatine Paycom Center successful Oklahoma City, Oklahoma connected May 18, 2026. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Daigneault applauded Williams for warring done the wounded and doing everything helium could to assistance Oklahoma City.

"He didn't cognize what to expect. I didn't cognize what to expect. So, it was a substance of getting him retired determination successful benignant of an insulated relation and spot what helium tin bring to the team. He's an All-Star player, he's an All-NBA player. He hasn't done a afloat instrumentality to play [protocol] similar helium would if this was the regular season, and yet, helium conscionable wants to bash immoderate helium tin to effort to lend immoderate helium tin to the team."

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"I springiness him a batch of recognition to get himself retired there. He did the champion helium could. He's surely not the crushed we lost."

Oklahoma City Thunder guardant Jalen Williams reacts to a changeable by guardant Luguentz Dort successful the 3rd 4th against the San Antonio Spurs during crippled 1 of the Western Conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs astatine Paycom Center successful Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, connected May 18, 2026. (Alonzo Adams/Imagn Images)

Williams did not speech to reporters aft Thursday's crippled successful San Antonio.

Williams underwent country past offseason to repair a wrist wounded but inactive played a cardinal relation successful the Thunder’s tally to the NBA Finals past season. He appeared successful conscionable 33 regular-season games earlier this year’s playoffs.

Oklahoma City Thunder defender Jalen Williams drives into the overgarment during the archetypal 4th of Game Two of the NBA Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs astatine Paycom Center successful Oklahoma City, Oklahoma connected May 20, 2026. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

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The victor of Saturday’s Game 7 volition beforehand to the NBA Finals to look the New York Knicks. New York snapped a astir three-decade Finals drought by sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers successful the Eastern Conference finals.

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