A scary fall in the fourth quarter
The scoreboard said Thunder win. Nobody in the building was thinking about it. Late in the fourth quarter against the Clippers on Sunday night, Jalen Williams drove to the rim, came down awkwardly, and his left ankle bent the wrong way.
He tried to stand with help from Chet Holmgren, but the trainers told him to stay on the floor. A stretcher came out, teammates crowded around him, and the crowd started a “J-Dub” chant. Williams answered with two thumbs up as he was carried to the locker room.
He had 8 points in 32 minutes before the fall. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 34.
no renewal
Free for 2 weeks.
No diagnosis yet
Oklahoma City has not given a diagnosis or a timeline. Coach Mark Daigneault offered no speculation after the game and said more information would arrive on Monday. Gilgeous-Alexander was in tears as his teammate left the floor and stayed emotional in his postgame interview. “He’s not gone forever,” he said, adding that the group has to hold the fort until Williams returns.
The timing is harsh. Williams is 25 and a key two-way wing on the team that won the 2025 title, but last season he appeared in only 33 regular-season games and moved in and out of the playoff rotation with wrist and hamstring problems. Another long layoff would hit a player who has had little rhythm for a year.
If he is sidelined for a stretch, early reports point to extra minutes for Jared McCain, Ajay Mitchell, Alex Caruso and Kenrich Williams. None of them replaces what Williams does on both ends, which is why the next update from the Thunder matters far more than Sunday’s win.
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