Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Isaiah Hartenstein were already racing up the floor for a potential fastbreak.
All Jalen Williams had to do was scoop up the loose ball, which was well within the reach of his 7-foot-2 wingspan. But his sprint quickly turned into a light jog, as he purposely let it roll out of bounds.
It just didn’t feel right to capitalize on the misfortune of Luka Dončić, who lost possession when he drove on Williams and pulled his left hamstring during the Los Angeles Lakers’ road game against the OKC Thunder on April 2. Especially after Williams had dealt with his own nagging hamstring injury all season.
“It’s very spooky in a way to see it happen to him and I’m the one guarding him,” Williams said after the game. “I could’ve taken off with the ball, but I tried to let it go out of bounds and give them time to figure it out just because that injury sucks.”
Dončić’s injury ultimately proved to be a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, which he’s still recovering from one month later. And Williams has since sustained another hamstring injury of his own, this time a Grade 1 left hamstring strain.
That leaves the availability of both stars in question for the second-round playoff series between the Thunder and Lakers, which begins at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday in Oklahoma City. And the sentiment is the same as what it was on April 2, as nobody wants to see guys sidelined with injuries.
“It’d be the best for everybody if everybody was available all of the time,” head coach Mark Daigneault said Saturday. “It’d be the best product for the fans. It’d be the best for the league. It’d be the best for the teams and the best for the players. It’s obviously not realistic. But we go into every series preparing for every possibility, and we’ll go into this series prepared.”
Dončić missed Los Angeles’ entire first-round series, which was a 4-2 win over the Houston Rockets.
A Grade 2 hamstring strain typically carries a recovery time of 4-6 weeks, meaning the superstar guard is on the early end of that window. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Saturday that Dončić is “not close” to returning, and he’ll likely be out for the front end of the second round.
Meanwhile, it has been 10 days since Williams sustained his Grade 1 hamstring strain during Game 2 of OKC’s first-round series against the Phoenix Suns on April 22. That injury, which doesn’t have as much muscle tearing as a Grade 2 strain, typically comes with a recovery time of 1-2 weeks.
Williams is being re-evaluated on a weekly basis, and he appeared to be in good spirits Thursday. He could be seen cracking jokes inside the Thunder’s practice facility before beginning an individual workout.
“He’s chipping away at his rehab,” Daigneault said of Williams on Saturday. “He’s doing a good job.”
Dončić is the league leader in points per game (33.5), Los Angeles’ top playmaker and a huge help on the glass. Williams is OKC’s second scoring option, a strong playmaker in his own right and an All-Defensive talent on the other end of the floor.
Both teams could be without key contributors for a portion of the series, but neither team is making excuses. Neither one let their setbacks prevent them from advancing to the second round.
Los Angeles still beat Houston in six games thanks in large part to LeBron James, who’s still playing high-level basketball at age 41. He’s averaging 23.2 points, 8.3 assists and 7.2 rebounds this postseason.
The Lakers also got a scoring boost from Austin Reaves, who returned after missing the first four games of the series due to a Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain. And they continued to receive good production from newcomers Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton and Luke Kennard.
OKC also took care of business by sweeping Phoenix. Its All-Star duo of Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren shined, and players such as Ajay Mitchell and Alex Caruso helped fill the void left by Williams.
That’s the beauty of basketball. As awful as it is to see guys go down, it’s great to see others step up in response. And that’ll be on display during this series.
“They’re a very talented team, but they’re also a very well-coached and well-put-together team in the way that they play,” Holmgren said of Los Angeles. “We just have to be prepared for them to be ready to play, and we have to do the same.”
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
Thunder vs. Lakers
GAME 1 TIPOFF: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Paycom Center (NBC, Peacock)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder-Lakers series not dampered by Luke Doncic, Jalen Williams injuries