What Mark Daigne had to say about Jalen Williams’ injury against the Heat
Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault reacted to Jalen Williams hamstring injury in Thunder loss at the Miami Heat, which ended the five-game winning streak of the defending champions. Williams was injured in the second quarter of a 122-120 loss to the Heat and did not return.
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 on him and see how he is tomorrow.”
Williams finished with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting, a pair of 3-pointers, three rebounds and three assists in 14 minutes.
Jaylen Williams on the Thunder’s recent streak
After losing half a dozen games, the All-Star Jaylen Williams reflected on the Thunder’s recent turnaround it catapulted a five-game winning streak ahead of Saturday’s match against the Heat. For Williams, health was critical, as players like starting guard Lou Dort and Jaylin Williams returned from long-term injuries.
“We’ve been a lot (healthier) except for (Isaiah Hartenstein), who’s big. So everybody likes to settle into a role a little bit more. Guys, know the minutes we’re going to get. I wouldn’t say it’s comfortable,” Williams said. “I don’t know if that’s such a good word, because we were (24-1). So it was like something was going for us there. I think just towards the end of it, going in expecting to win instead of earning a win, the way Mark (Deno) talks.
“I think that’s been our big thing. And that’s just how we go about our process of winning games and winning to our standards, playing hard the whole game, moving the ball, getting out in transition, spacing; all those things that we’ve been kind of abandoning. And we’ve been winning on talent. Now, the last few games, we’ve been able to win in how we’ve won it.
The Thunder will likely continue their four-game road trip without Williams as the defending champions face the Cavaliers on Martin Luther King Day.
2026-01-18 17:43:00
