SouthernWorldwide.com – The Oklahoma City Thunder will be without a crucial player for their decisive Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals.
Guard Jalen Williams has been officially ruled out of Saturday’s game due to a lingering hamstring injury, according to ESPN. Williams initially appeared to aggravate his left hamstring during the Thunder’s Game 2 victory.
He missed the subsequent three games before attempting to return for Game 6. However, he played only 10 minutes off the bench in the Thunder’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, a defeat that forced the series to a Game 7.
“He’s obviously not 100%,” stated Mark Daigneault, the head coach of the Thunder.
Daigneault expressed his admiration for Williams’ determination to play through the injury and contribute to the team’s efforts.
“He didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know what to expect. So, it was a matter of getting him out there in kind of an insulated role and see what he can bring to the team,” Daigneault explained. “He’s an All-Star player, he’s an All-NBA player. He hasn’t done a full return to play [protocol] like he would if this was the regular season, and yet, he just wants to do whatever he can to try to contribute whatever he can to the team.”
The coach further emphasized Williams’ commitment, stating, “I give him a lot of credit to get himself out there. He did the best he could. He’s certainly not the reason we lost.”
Williams himself did not speak to reporters following Thursday’s game in San Antonio.
Despite undergoing surgery last offseason to repair a wrist injury, Williams was a significant contributor to the Thunder’s playoff run last season. This season, he played in only 33 regular-season games before participating in the current playoffs.
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The winner of Saturday’s Game 7 will advance to the NBA Finals to face the New York Knicks. The Knicks recently ended a nearly 30-year NBA Finals drought by sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
