What Thunder’s Mark Daigneault said about Jalen Williams’ injury vs. Heat

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault reacted to Jalen Williams’ hamstring injury in the Thunder’s loss to the Miami Heat, which snapped the defending champions’ five-game win streak. Williams suffered the injury in the second quarter of a 122-120 loss to the Heat and never returned.

After the loss, Daigneault provided an update on Williams’ status during his postgame media availability.

“We’ll see in the morning,” Daigneault said. “Then, we’ll check him out and see how he is tomorrow.”

Williams finished with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting, a pair of threes, three rebounds, and three assists in 14 minutes.

Jalen Williams on the Thunder’s recent win streak

After losing half a dozen games, All-Star Jalen Williams addressed the Thunder’s recent turnaround that catapulted a five-game win streak ahead of Saturday’s matchup against the Heat. For Williams, health has been critical, as players such as starting guard Lu Dort and Jaylin Williams returned from long-term injuries.

“We’ve been a lot [healthier] aside from [Isaiah Hartenstein], which is a big one. So, everybody’s like settling into a role a little more. Guys, know the minutes that we’re going to have. I wouldn’t say comfortable,” Williams said. “I don’t know if it’s such a good word because we were [24-1]. So, it’s like we had something going there. I think just toward the later end of that, going in expecting a win instead of earning a win, the way Mark [Daigneault] talks about.

“I think that was our big one. And that’s just how we go about our process of winning the games and winning it to our standards, playing hard the whole game, moving the ball, getting out in transition, spacing; all that stuff we were kind of abandoning. And we were winning on talent. Now, the last couple of games, we’ve been able to win doing all of that. That’s how we like to win games.”

The Thunder will most likely continue its four-game road trip without Williams, as the defending champions will face the Cavaliers on Martin Luther King Day.

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