The Oklahoma City Thunder visit the San Antonio Spurs at the Frost Bank Center for Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Western Conference Finals in what is turning out to be an impressive series that currently stands tied at 1-1. OKC will look to steal a road win, and will have to do it without star Jalen Williams on the court.
The official status of OKC forward Jalen Williams for Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday is out, as he is struggling to a left hamstring soreness.
Williams exited the first quarter of Game 2 on Wednesday and did not return. The Thunder ultimately secured a 122-113 home win to tie the Western Conference Finals series at 1-1. Unfortunately for OKC, the Spurs will have De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper available for the game.
What happened to Williams?
Williams suffered a Grade 1 strain in his left hamstring during Game 2 of the first round for the Thunder against Phoenix on April 22. He returned for the series opener against San Antonio on Monday, but he now runs the risk of missing more time.
Jalen Williams laughs after a play during the second half against the Utah Jazz
With Williams unable to play on Friday, Ajay Mitchell will take on a larger role. The second-year guard started all four second-round games against the Los Angeles Lakers during Williams’ absence, averaging 22.5 points and six assists.
Jalen Williams scored 26 points and pulled down seven rebounds, showing signs of the player who put up 21.4 points per game during last year’s NBA championship run, while his role on the team is to serve as the second option behind Shai Gilgeous Alexander.
Williams’ situation
According to Shams Charania, he will be evaluated day to day and game to game. “It’s a recurring injury. If you think about it, Pat, the opposite leg, the right hamstring, he had two strains of the hamstring on that side as well during the course of the season that he missed four weeks at one point and six weeks at another point, so he’s been dealing with hamstring injuries on both legs. It appears more unlikely than likely that he plays in Game 3 tonight.”
