Jalen Williams shows little rust in return as Thunder drop Game 1 loss to Spurs

[ASFN Admin]

You must be registered for see images

Hoping for the dagger, Jalen Williams instead played a role in Victor Wembanyama's career-defining shot. Feeling himself after a transition dunk to put the Thunder ahead, his pull-up jumper was way off. So off that it fueled the Spurs' fastbreak offense to allow their MVP finalist to nail the Curry-esque outside jumper and tie things up.

The Oklahoma City Thunder couldn't outlast the San Antonio Spurs in a stress-filled 122-115 double-overtime Game 1 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. They start these epic Western Conference Finals in a 0-1 series deficit.

Williams finished with 26 points on 11-of-25 shooting, seven rebounds and three assists. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws. He also had one block and one steal.

Say what you want about Williams' shot selection and aggressiveness in the two overtime periods, but he's near the bottom of the reasons why the Thunder dropped this one. Among their triumvirate, he was the only one who looked like his usual self from the jump with 10 points in the first quarter — which is poetic, considering his month-long absence from a hamstring strain.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault detailed Williams' past month. He missed six playoff games as he sustained a third hamstring strain in five months during an injury-riddled year. Despite that, he kept his head down and went to work to be ready to play right now.

"He's borderline manic at the end of his rehabs. His workouts are intense. He kinda gets into a zone at the end of a rehab as he's getting close. He can smell the floor, and it really readies him. He's shot out of a cannon when the ball goes up in the air. He's always been like that," Daigneault said about Williams. "He's got an unbelievable motor. He's had to overcome some different obstacles this year with the injuries to get himself to that point, but he's done a great job."

Like everybody else who has run into the Spurs, Williams dealt with the same migraine of problems against Wembanyama. When the seven-footer was on the floor, he had to completely rethink his usual line of thinking when it comes to slicing through defenses and getting to the rack.

Wembanyama's rim protection has left a trail of broken brains. Nobody has quite yet figured out the best way to solve his calculus-esque presence. And Williams was no different. At least he left it all on the floor. Others would take the passive route and pass up contested shots. The 25-year-old showed he's not afraid to put up an inefficient night.

"Just figuring out different ways to move him around and still be aggressive. I thought we had a good process. I think we got a lot of good shots. Just got to make them at the same time, too. It's like defensively, I think we've got to be a lot better and kinda stick to our identity there," Williams said. "I don't want to get too much into the X's and O's. I think I would've liked to make the last two shots I shot for the double overtime as well. I think that kinda hurt us, but other than that, just figuring out different ways to move them around. Also not be too hesitant on offense."

Like everybody else on the Thunder, Williams had his handful of storybook moments that would've been given a brighter spotlight if they handled business. Instead, his go-ahead transition jam in the first overtime will get lost in NBA history as Wembanyama and the Spurs snatched this game's story.

We'll see how the Thunder respond in a big-time Game 2. But if you're looking to make complaints about some of Williams' shot attempts in overtime, you'd better first bring up how bad Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren were. The All-NBA talent played well enough to come away with a win. It was the rest of OKC sans Alex Caruso who didn't carry their weight.

"I hate to say it, but we've lost Game 1 a couple of times. So we do have experience there. I think for me, from a personal standpoint, I think everything in the past has happened for a reason. We get another opportunity to be great and figure out a way to kinda hone back in and get Game 2 at the same time," Williams said. "We understand it's a series. So we could've lost this game by 30 or won by 30. It's just one game. That's how we approach it."

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Jalen Williams shows little rust in return as Thunder drop Game 1 loss to Spurs

Continue reading...