The Oklahoma City Thunder are one win away from returning to the NBA Finals to compete for a second championship, but they’ve been dealing with injuries to key personnel during the playoffs.
Starter Jalen Williams and reserve Ajay Mitchell both became question marks in the Western Conference Finals, with Williams returning to the lineup for Game 1 but having to miss games in the series.
Mitchell got hurt in Game 2, then exited Game 3. Since then, he hasn’t played for the Spurs, and it appears he won’t play again for their crucial Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs.
Meanwhile, Williams played in the team’s Game 6 loss at San Antonio, but concerns resurfaced about his nagging injury.
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On Friday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Thunder officially ruled Williams out for the critical game in this series due to his hamstring injury, which obviously reduces OKC’s roster. In Game 6, he played but wasn’t a starter, with Jared McCain taking over that spot previously held by Williams and Mitchell.
He played just 10 minutes in the game, scoring one point after making one free throw. Williams also had one assist, two turnovers, and a foul during his time on the court.
No other Thunder players scored more than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 15 points, as the Spurs looked unbeatable in Game 6.
San Antonio cruised to a 118-91 win on their home court to set up the must-win final game in this series. Some might think it’s best to have every potential player able to suit up for the Thunder, but maybe not.
Williams dealt with an injury-plagued regular season, playing only 33 games for the Thunder, who still finished with the league’s best record and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. He averaged 17.1 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.6 rebounds and is typically considered OKC’s second-best player behind SGA.
Still, OKC has looked impressive at home and in their response to losses against the Spurs, answering that call several times already in this series, including Game 5.
They won that game in Oklahoma City with neither Williams nor Mitchell playing. McCain stepped up in his starting role to score 20 points, while Alex Caruso came off the bench and scored 22 points in the 127-114 win.
Now the two teams will battle for a spot in the NBA Finals, while the Eastern Conference’s New York Knicks rest and await an opponent.
Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and Thunder arrives at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.
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