Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams is sidelined yet again.
Williams will miss at least “a couple of weeks” due to a right hamstring strain, the franchise announced on Monday. He first went down in the second quarter of their loss to the Miami Heat on Saturday, and was spotted grabbing his right hamstring as he limped off the court.
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The team initially said he had right thigh soreness, but confirmed Monday that it was his hamstring.
If Williams is just out for two weeks, he could return in early February and miss only seven games — including Monday’s 136-104 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“I always feel bad for guys,” Thunder coach Mark Diagneault said on Monday, via The Oklahoman’s Justin Martinez. “This is their life, and they put so much work into it. In his case, he put so much work into getting back to the court. … It sucks, but you’ve got to play the ball where it is. That’s what he’s going to do. He’s going to put one foot in front of the other and attack the return to play, as he’s always done.”
Williams, who earned All-Star honors last season while helping the Thunder to their NBA Finals win, has averaged 16.8 points, 5.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game this season. He missed the first month of the season while recovering from wrist surgery he underwent during the offseason.
The Thunder now hold a 36-8 record after Monday’s contest at Rocket Arena, which they led nearly the entire way before outscoring the Cavaliers by 20 points in the fourth quarter. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 30 points, and the team shot 56% from the field. They’ve now won six of their last seven games, and hold the best record in the league.
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The Thunder entered Monday’s contest at Rocket Arena with a 35-8 record, which is the best in the league. Their loss to the Heat snapped a five-game win streak, too.
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