The Oklahoma City Thunder have absolutely dominated the Los Angeles Lakers through three games of the Western Conference Semifinals. OKC won Game 3 handily by a score of 131-108 to take a 3-0 lead in the series; no NBA team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit in the playoffs, so history isn’t on the Lakers’ side.
What makes the Thunder’s dominance even more impressive is that they aren’t even at full strength, as Jalen Williams has missed the entirety of this series. What is the latest on Williams’ hamstring strain, and will he suit up in Game 4 tonight?
Jalen Williams Injury Update: Will the Thunder Star Play in Game 4 vs. Lakers?
No, Williams has been ruled out for Game 4 as he continues to recover from his Grade 1 hamstring strain, which he suffered during Game 2 of the Thunder’s first-round series against the Phoenix Suns.
It remains to be seen when Williams will return for the Thunder. The next chance for Williams to suit up would be in Game 5 on Wednesday, May 13, if that game is necessary. The Thunder have been winning with ease without Williams, so they can afford to be cautious with their star.
Ajay Mitchell has started in Williams’ absence and he has thrived. In Game 3, Mitchell scored a game-high 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field (58.8%), including 2-of-4 from 3-point range (50%), while also chipping in 10 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.
During this series, Mitchell is now averaging 20.7 points, 6.7 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and a steal on 53.3% shooting from the field. He is one of the biggest bargains in the NBA, as he signed a three-year extension worth just $9 million, so he’s earning just $3,000,000 this season.
During the regular season, Williams averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He struggled with his efficiency, shooting career-lows from the field (48.4%) and 3-point range (29.9%). Williams appeared in just 33 games during the regular season, as he missed significant stretches while recovering from offseason wrist surgery and a pair of separate hamstring strains. OKC still managed to win an NBA-best 64 games and secure the West’s No. 1 seed with the 25-year-old in and out of the lineup.
The Lakers have injury concerns of their own, as Luka Dončić has been ruled out for Game 4 as he recovers from a Grade 2 hamstring strain.
Dončić recently revealed that he was initially given an eight-week recovery timeline when he first hurt his hamstring, which means he likely isn’t close to returning.
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“I’m just doing everything I can, like I said. Every day I’m doing stuff I was supposed to do. Obviously, I’m recovering now, I’m working, but as a doctor said, eight weeks at the beginning of the first MRI,” Dončić said. “So, you know, I’m just going day by day, and I feel better every day.
“I don’t think people understand how frustrating it is. All I wanna do is play basketball, especially this time (of the year)… Seeing what my team is doing, I’m very proud of them. It’s been very tough just to sit and watch them play,” he added.
The eight-week timeline means Dončić is still roughly two weeks away from returning, with late May being a realistic target. Even if the Lakers can extend this series to seven games (which seems unlikely), Game 7 would be on May 18; that’s likely too soon for Dončić to suit up unless he can significantly beat the initial recovery timeline.
So far, Dončić is reportedly just doing light individual work, but he will need to ramp up to contact drills, 1-on-1, 3-on-3, and 5-on-5 before he can return.
Game 4 between the Lakers and Thunder will tip off tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET.
