Jaylen Williams doesn’t want to ‘blow up’ Grayson Allen’s latest sordid incident

OKLAHOMA CITY — As Jalen Williams and the Oklahoma City Thunder increased the advantage in the second half by ten points, Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen drew a Flagrant-2 foul on Chet Holmgren. Allen fought through Holmgren’s screen with an elbow across the chest that knocked Chet to the ground. Players from both teams had to be separated before officials reviewed the play, ruling it a Flagrant-2, ending Allen’s night.

After the game, Williams responded to Allen’s controversial foul during his postgame media availability.

“We went to the 40. I think something happened in the game earlier. So there was probably some frustration there,” Williams said. “I just made sure I got Chet back and that’s it. I don’t know. He’s been doing that his whole career. So, I feel for him. I just made sure I had my teammates and got out of there. It’s nothing to blow up. As much as I want it to be, something that’s blown up, it’s an NBA fight anyway.”

The Thunder handed the Suns one of their worst losses of the season as they advanced to NBA Cup semi-finals, where they will face the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday in Las Vegas. Holmgren finished with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including a perfect 4-for-4 from deep, eight rebounds, three blocks and two assists.

Grayson Allen exited the game with 10 points, four assists and one steal. Jalen Williams added 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, five rebounds, five assists and one steal for the Thunder.

“I thought the refs handled the situation well tonight,” Thunder head coach Mark Dayno said after the game. “Those things can get a little wonky at times if the refs don’t handle it with a firm hand. I thought they did it appropriately tonight.”

Why Mark Daigneault isn’t focused on the Thunder’s streak

The Thunder are on their longest winning streak in franchise history — 16 straight. What is the secret of winning so many consecutive games? The head coach Mark Daigneault revealed the Thunder’s key ingredient to maintain the array.

“Not focusing on the streak,” Daigneault said. “You just have to play the next possession, be better the next day, win the next quarter and compete in the next game. If you do that and you’re present in the process, sometimes you look up and you get a certain amount of games in a row. But we definitely have to realize that we still have a lot of improvement. We have a lot of things to maintain and challenge.

“We have a long season ahead of us. But the guys have done a great job of staying very present in the season, so far, competing at this point, and that has put us in a good position,” Daigneault concluded.

The Thunder will face the Spurs in the semifinals of the NBA Cup on Saturday in Las Vegas.