PHILADELPHIA — All-NBA forward Jalen Williams played for the first time in six weeks on Monday night, contributing 18 points, four rebounds and six assists in 20 minutes as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers 123-103 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The game marked Williams’ first appearance since Feb. 11 and only his 27th of the season after a right hamstring strain sidelined him for 26 of the past 28 contests. Oklahoma City (15-1 since the All-Star break) extended its winning streak to 12 and remained on pace for a third straight No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
Health update
Williams said his leg has improved and his surgically repaired right wrist, which delayed his season debut until late November, is “better than it ever has” felt. “Now it’s just more about getting my legs back and getting a rhythm with the team,” he told reporters.
Limited time together
Monday was only the sixth game all season in which the Thunder’s starting five from last June’s championship Game 7 were on the floor together, bringing the total time for that unit to just 61 minutes.
Injury concerns linger
Injuries have been a season-long theme for the defending champions:
- MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has missed 12 games and is close to the 65-game minimum for award eligibility.
- Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe are the only Thunder players to miss fewer than 10 games.
- Four rotation members — Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso and rookie Ajay Mitchell — have each sat out more than 20 games.
Mitchell, suspended for Monday’s contest after an incident in Saturday’s win over Washington, is expected back Wednesday against the Boston Celtics. Head coach Mark Daigneault said having a full roster again creates “another puzzle that we’ll have to work through.”
Race for the top seed
Oklahoma City entered the night with an NBA-best plus-11 net rating but remains only three games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs, who own the head-to-head tiebreaker. Both teams have 10 games left.
The Thunder visit Boston on Wednesday as they continue their push for a second consecutive championship.
Source: ESPN
