Player grades: Williams’ injury cloud Thunder in 120-107 Game 2 win over Suns

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Apr 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams (8) goes up for a basket beside Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

OKLAHOMA CITY — Driving into a packed paint, Jalen Williams gingerly walked back. Holding the back of his leg, he gutted out a couple of possessions before he bumped into Devin Booker for the intentional foul to check out. Not that long after, he walked through the tunnel and disappeared from the public eye.

The Oklahoma City Thunder picked up a 120-107 Game 2 win over the Phoenix Suns. While they grabbed a 2-0 series lead, Williams’ latest hamstring problem clouded the playoff victory.

Playing with a brand-new sense of urgency, the Suns kept things close to start. Dillon Brooks lived up to his word to start. He hunted for his shot on isolation looks. This time around, they fell in. Williams countered his buckets. He hit an impressive spin-around move that made him look like an All-NBA guy.

Adding to the chaos, Alex Caruso stole the ball and then threw down a slam. The defense-to-offense sequence ignited the OKC crowd. The Thunder had a 30-29 lead after the first quarter. Running with the second unit, OKC ballooned its lead.

Isaiah Joe knocked down a couple of outside jumpers. Williams ran out in transition for a breakaway jam. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got the better of Brooks on a mid-range jumper. He finally trolled back by pointing his finger at him. The Thunder scored 35 points in the second frame. They entered halftime with a 65-57 lead over the Suns. Not bad.

After the break, what was supposed to be a celebration turned somber. The Thunder were on their way to an easy-peasy 2-0 series lead. Brooks kept trying to antagonize OKC, but nobody fell for his gimmicks. Isaiah Hartenstein threw up an alley-oop to Chet Holmgren. They finally built up a double-digit lead.

Alas, all of the good vibes quickly zapped away. Going for a transition layup, Williams once again landed awkwardly. This time, he grabbed his left hamstring — the good one that’s given him zero headaches this year. He played a couple of more possessions before he finally tapped out with a foul on Booker.

Circled by trainers, Williams eventually left the Thunder bench. He didn’t play the rest of the game. Suddenly, a Game 2 matchup with the eighth-seeded Suns felt small. The more important issue is the 25-year-old’s status for the rest of the NBA playoffs. We won’t truly know for a few days at least.

While that hung over everybody’s head, the Thunder started to run away on the scoreboard. They went on a 19-5 run to really break this game open. Alex Caruso knocked down a corner outside jumper. And then Ajay Mitchell sliced through Phoenix’s defense for a layup. If Williams has to miss time, those two could see an uptick in role.

The Thunder put up 35 points in the third quarter. They had a 100-77 lead over the Suns. While everybody in OKC dreaded the possibility of being without Williams for the short-term future, Phoenix slowly made this into an interesting game. At least one where you had to watch until the end.

The Suns went on a 20-4 run. Brooks turned into a microwave scorer. He crossed the 30-point mark as he buried jumper after jumper. He found Royce O’Neale for an outside jumper. Suddenly, the Thunder only had a 110-100 lead with a little under four minutes to go.

Eventually, Gilgeous-Alexander calmed things down. He was needed to play in the fourth quarter. Leading by as many as 26 points, the Thunder squeezed out 20 points in the final frame — just enough to win by a comfortable margin despite Phoenix’s unreal scoring in the final stretch.

The Thunder shot 47% from the field and went 14-of-40 (35%) from 3. They shot 20-of-25 on free throws. They had 24 assists on 43 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander had an efficient 37 points and nine assists. Holmgren had 19 points and eight rebounds. Williams finished with 19 points and four assists. Mitchell had 14 points and five assists.

Meanwhile, the Suns shot 46% from the field and went 11-of-31 (35.5%) from 3. They shot 18-of-22 on free throws. They had 23 assists on 39 baskets. Four Suns players scored double-digit points.

Booker had 22 points and seven rebounds. Brooks broke out with 30 points and six rebounds. Jalen Green had 21 points and five rebounds. O’Neale tallied 16 points and nine rebounds.

So far, this Round 1 series has gone chalk — something you can’t say for most of them in these NBA playoffs. The Thunder have thoroughly been the better team than the Suns. Shouldn’t be a shocker to anybody who’s half-paid attention to this year. It was more competitive than Game 1, but OKC was in firm control from the jump and held a double-digit lead for most of the second half.

Now, all eyes turn towards Williams. We’ll see how much time he’ll miss with his latest hamstring injury. As the adage goes, you need as much luck as talent to win an NBA championship. If he misses time, this will be the first time this group has dealt with a notable absence in the postseason in its four years together. That changes the dynamics for OKC — both in this series and beyond.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus

Apr 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives between Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale (00) and forward Oso Ighodaro (11) in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Lowering the ball to beneath his knees, Gilgeous-Alexander became cerebral. He took a couple of dribbles left as Brooks was on his grill. He went up for the pull-up jumper that rainbowed in. On his way back to defense, he pointed at Brooks to troll the trollster.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 37 points on 13-of-25 shooting, nine assists and five rebounds. He shot 2-of-5 from 3 and went 9-of-9 on free throws. He also had one steal.

Shaking off Game 1 cobwebs, Gilgeous-Alexander returned to what’s turned him into a future Hall-of-Famer — superb-efficient 30-point scoring. The four-level scorer was busy everywhere. He sliced through Phoenix’s defense for driving layups. When that didn’t happen, he was surgical in the mid-range. He sprinkled in a couple of outside jumpers and eventually had a busy night at the free-throw line.

Gilgeous-Alexander had 17 points in the first half. Once again, the Suns threw several defenders his way. None of them had any luck. Not even his buddy Brooks, who kept poking the bear. The second half saw him continue his scoring dominance with 20 points.

The Thunder desperately needed it even more. Once Williams went down, Gilgeous-Alexander helped them refocus on the game. Anytime they went through a handful of scoreless possessions, he mustered up his own buckets just off pure one-on-one talent. That was enough to cross the finish line and go up two games on the Suns.

Now, this is what we’re used to seeing from Gilgeous-Alexander. Scoring that transcends circumstance. This is the type of game he sleepwalks through in the regular season. Now, he’s proven to be capable of the same in the NBA playoffs. Depending on how much time Williams misses, the Thunder might need these Herculean efforts more often.

Jalen Williams: A

Apr 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams (8) screams after dunking against the Phoenix Suns in the first half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

At this point, all you can do is laugh. Williams’ injury woes just won’t leave him alone. In this latest chapter, his healthy hamstring finally betrayed him. Going for a fastbreak layup, he immediately held the back of his left leg. As the OKC crowd’s collective stomach dropped, that’s not what you wanted to see. Now, we await the severity.

Williams finished with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, four assists and one rebound. He shot 2-of-3 from 3 and went 3-of-5 on free throws. He also had one steal.

I mean, basketball can be a cruel sport at times. After enjoying last year’s highs of an NBA championship, Williams has paid the price this year with his first injury-riddled year. Now, that’s leaked over to the playoffs — the one place where your margin for error basically hovers around zero for two months.

Williams had everything going. Through six quarters, you could argue he was OKC’s best playoff performer. He returned to his All-NBA form. Bullying his way to the rim and knocking down pull-up jumpers, it finally felt like his injuries and the consequences that came with that were finally behind him.

Instead, Williams had the rug pulled out from under his feet again. The Thunder will see how he feels in the next couple of days. And maybe it’s a good thing he didn’t hurt his right hamstring for a third time in four months. But it’s really difficult to spin this into a positive. Just a flat-out disastrous development.

Zooming out, the Thunder should beat the Suns without Williams. The talent gap remains galaxy-sized. Beyond that? Who knows. But as the competition levels up with each playoff series, the more urgent they need the 25-year-old. You can’t have your offense stagnate or your defense fail to defend frontcourt players. Or you risk a playoff trip with injuries.

Pretty easy to have a glass-half-empty approach right now. The Thunder won’t win an NBA championship without Williams. We’ve known that all season. It’s what made his absences in the regular season at least stomachable. Now, though? Yeesh. It’s a scary thing to think about.

Chet Holmgren: B

Apr 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) screams after scoring against the Phoenix Suns in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Waiting for Brooks to go up for a layup, Holmgren purposely jogged behind him. Once he went up for the transition attempt, the All-Star emphatically swatted away the ball. To the point that it ricocheted off the backboard. The defensive highlight play summed up his night.

Holmgren finished with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and eight rebounds. He shot 3-of-6 from 3 and went 2-of-3 on free throws. He also had four blocks.

Welcome back to being the Thunder’s second-best scorer. Once Williams went down, Holmgren had 11 points in the third quarter. In total, it was the usual shot diet. The seven-footer caught a couple of alley-oops. He also knocked down a handful of outside jumpers. It won’t be as flashy as other All-Star players, but he puts up efficient scoring numbers.

On the other end, Holmgren anchored another solid defensive performance. The Suns struggled to surpass 100 points. That’s with enjoying a decent jump-shooting night. Once again, the seven-footer manned a shutdown interior night as Phoenix’s top scorers couldn’t finesse their way for layups because of his presence.

The Thunder remain in good hands if Williams is forced to miss games. At least for this Round 1 series, anyway. Holmgren’s breakout year has helped them navigate life without him. They could be forced to rely on that playstyle once again. Not new territory for this group, unfortunately. They had the second-most missed games due to injury. Despite that, they had an NBA-best 64-18 record.

If I had to guess, we’re about to learn if the Thunder can keep the ball rolling in the NBA playoffs as they did in the regular season without Williams. If they do, Holmgren will play a big part. You already saw it in the second half, as he helped Gilgeous-Alexander close out a Game 2 win.

Ajay Mitchell: B-plus

Apr 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) drives to the basket past Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Utilizing Isaiah Hartenstein’s screen, Mitchell went downhill. He avoided Khaman Maluach’s contest with a high-angle floater that banked in. The Thunder kept their double-digit distance on the scoreboard thanks to the 23-year-old’s offense.

Mitchell finished with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting, five rebounds and five assists. He shot 1-of-5 from 3 and went 3-of-4 on free throws. He also had two steals.

In his first real NBA playoff run, Mitchell has translated his scoring diet from the regular season that skyrocketed him in OKC’s rotation. He relentlessly attacked the Suns’ paint defense. His drive-heavy scoring style has made it possible for him to contribute — even on nights where his jumper doesn’t fall.

With Williams out for most of the second half, Mitchell took advantage of the vacant scoring opportunities. He had 10 points in the latter two quarters alone. Already high in the rotation as their Sixth Man, the Thunder may depend more on the 23-year-old if Williams has to miss time with a hamstring injury.

So, nothing new, really. Because of Williams’ absences, Mitchell enjoyed a breakout season. Now, he’s firmly penciled into their playoff rotation. Expect the Thunder to lean on him even more to close out the Suns as a secondary scorer. So far, he’s shown the ability to add more onto his plate without spillage.

Highlights:

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Williams’ injury cloud Thunder in 120-107 Game 2 win over Suns

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