Monday night was a rough one for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Not only did they lose the second part of a back-to-back with the Denver Nuggets, dropping a competitive 140-127 ball game, but they also lost one of the key cogs of their team.
Jalen Williams left the game against the Nuggets after only playing 14 minutes. The Thunder star posted 12 points and six assists before calling it a night due to a right hip strain. His head coach had the latest on the next steps for Williams from here.
It was already confirmed that the one-time All-Star was set to miss this contest due to the injury he suffered in the Thunder's previous contest. Mark Daigneault gave a more precise update on what is happening with Williams behind the scenes.
The Thunder head coach told Joel Lorenzi that their versatile forward did not travel with the team to Boston.
"He's back home. He's getting his initial rehab," Daigneault said of Williams.
Not having the top running mate of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will present a tough challenge for the Thunder against the toughest remaining fixture on their 2024-25 schedule.
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The Celtics enter this matchup riding a five-game winning streak, including impressive wins over the Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers. Boston has won 11 of their last 13 games overall.
The defending champions are starting to ramp it up before the NBA Playoffs come around. Kristaps Porzingis (viral illness) will not be available for this matchup, which should make things a little easier for the Thunder, but otherwise, Oklahoma City are in serious threat of losing two games in a row for only the second time this year.
The Thunder have a massive lead on the top spot in the Western Conference so they likely are not too worried about playoff positioning at the moment. However, losing an opportunity to figure out how Williams would fit into their schemes in a potential Finals preview is a tough blow regardless.
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This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 10:42 AM.