Thunder’s Jalen Williams drops cryptic post after suffering eye injury vs. Warriors

Perhaps the post has a sarcastic undertone, considering the Thunder held off the Warriors in a game that nearly slipped through their fingers as Williams watched from afar. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander followed up his 37-point game in Monday’s 130-109 victory against the Sacramento Kings with another 30+ point performance (35), including a dagger in the final frame against the Warriors.

After Oklahoma City was 5-for-16, including 1-for-9 from deep, in the fourth quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander’s 3-pointer gave the Thunder a 100-96 lead before staving off the Warriors down the stretch. SGA led with a team-high 35 points on 13-of-28 attempts, nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and one steal. Isaiah Joe added 17 points, including four threes, and Isaiah Hartenstein turned in his third consecutive double-double (14 points, 14 rebounds) with three assists and two blocks.

There has been no official update on Williams’ injury, except for the Thunder stating that he suffered an eye injury in the second quarter that ruled him out of the rest of Wednesday’s game.

Jalen Williams suffers eye injury, a tremendous loss for Thunder

After a four-year losing streak fueled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 130-109 victory against the Sacramento Kings, Jalen Williams’ injury empowered the All-Star guard to put the team on his back. The Thunder, with a double-digit lead intact, watched it disappear when the Golden State Warriors outscored Oklahoma City by eleven points (33-22) in the third quarter.

Still, without Williams, the offense ran dry as the defense strung together stops, which eventually put Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder in a position to close out the Warriors. But supplementing offense in Williams’ absence long-term won’t be easy. If he enters the NBA’s concussion protocol, the Thunder could be without one of their top scorers for the final two games of their four-game road trip.

Williams entered Wednesday’s game averaging 23.7 points on an incredible 55.7% shooting, including 43.7% from three. He’s also averaging 6.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks. Williams has been a force on both ends of the floor throughout 2024-25 and will be re-evaluated ahead of Friday’s matchup against the Lakers.