Alex Caruso and Jaylin Williams sat out the game against the Cavs with injuries
As it is The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in a potential 2026 NBA Finals preview, disaster struck when Jaylin Williams and Alec Caruso both exited the game after less than 10 minutes of action each.
With NBA fans openly questioning the status of two key contributors to Marc Daigneault’s team, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints broke the bad news, noting on social media that Caruso and Williams will not be in the game with groin pain and lower back contusionthat is,
“The Thunder say Alex Caruso (right groin soreness) and Jaylin Williams (lower back contusion) will not return for today’s game against Cleveland,” Siegel wrote.
With Jaylen Williams already sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Thunder gave sophomore Jay Williams his fourth start of the season, only to have the fourth-year big man exit the game after just eight minutes of action. Caruso was also expected to take on a bigger role with Williams coming off the bench as the team’s main two-way back, only for his night to end after just seven minutes with just one point on the board for his troubles.
Fortunately for the Thunder, even without a player, the team had little trouble handling the Cavs early on, with the team outscoring Cleveland in each of the game’s first two quarters by a combined score of 66-51. After ending his five-game winning streak with a surprising loss to the Miami Heat on SaturdayThe Cavs are in good shape to get back into the winning column against a potential NBA Finals team.
2026-01-19 21:15:00
