Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams was slow to get up after taking a hit from Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga in the second quarter of Wednesday's 105-101 win. Williams was ruled out for the night with an eye injury, and after his cryptic social media post on Instagram, many wondered the severity of his injury. Jalen's name was absent from an injury report for the Thunder's NBA Cup matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Williams is expected to play on Friday, per Thunder Wire's Clemente Almanza.
“Jalen Williams is not listed on the Thunder's injury report. He'll be available to play tomorrow's game against the Lakers,” Almanza reported.
Amidst the Thunder securing their latest win against the Warriors, Golden State took the lead in the final frame before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drained a 3-pointer, ending Oklahoma City's shooting drought. The Thunder were 1-for-9 from deep in the fourth quarter and strung together defensive stops that propelled Gilgeous-Alexander's 35-point performance. He also finished with nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal.
Isaiah Joe added 17 points, including four threes, and Isaiah Hartenstein had a double-double (14 points, 14 rebounds) with three assists and two blocks. Without Stephen Curry, who was ruled out with a knee injury, the Warriors dropped to 12-6 and are now third in the Western Conference, while the Thunder, 14-4, remain on top.
Jalen Williams drops cryptic posts after suffering eye injury
Getting dunked on by Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga took a turn for the worse for Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams. He took a blow to the face and left the game with what many assumed was a concussion before the Thunder revealed otherwise, stating Williams suffered an eye injury. After the game, Jalen's 24-hour story on social media showed a cryptic selfie from the visitor's locker room at the Chase Center.
The photo's caption read, “hooooray,” per Thunder Wire's Clemente Almanza.
Then, Williams posted a second photo on Thanksgiving Day. He's covering his right eye in the picture, which may have been taken Wednesday night. Still, it's a relief that the Thunder will play the Lakers with JDub in the lineup. Gilgeous-Alexander took matters into his own hands in Wednesday's win. However, with Williams on the floor, OKC's offense is more fluid, while the defense tightens as he's typically assigned to defend the opposing team's best wing players.
Williams has been dominating both ends of the floor, averaging 22.9 points on 55.6% shooting, 6.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.4 steals in November.
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