Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Oklahoma City Thunder face critical injury issues ahead of Game 5 against the San Antonio Spurs.
- Ajay Mitchell and Jalen Williams both missed Game 4 and are listed in the injury report again for Game 5.
- The bench will need to step up to counter the Spurs' full-strength lineup and help Shai Gilgeous-Alexander find his shooting rhythm.
While the New York Knicks have cruised their way through the East to the NBA Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs have been locked in a bruising battle to meet them. The Spurs used a 21-point blowout to even the series in Game 4, at least in part because the Thunder depth was thoroughly tested.
Jalen Williams played just seven minutes in Game 2 and missed both Game 3 and Game 4 with a lingering hamstring injury. Ajay Mitchell — who has started seven postseason games in place of Williams — also missed Game 4 with a calf injury. There's a decent chance the Thunder will again be without both for Game 5.
Jalen Williams listed as questionable, Ajay Mitchell is out for Game 5 against the Spurs
Mitchell has already been ruled out and Williams appears to be a gametime decision, which could put the Thunder in a big hole. The bad news is that this is the situation they faced in Game 4, leading to one of their worst losses of the season. The good news is that they won Game 3 without Williams and with Mitchell only providing 2 points from the starting lineup. The bench — Cason Wallace, Jared McCain, Alex Caruso, Jaylin Williams, Isaiah Joe and Kenrich Williams — combined for 76 points and the Thunder rolled.
All that is to say, that even without Williams and Mitchell the Thunder have plenty of firepower and overall talent to compete. But their margin for error becomes much smaller and they're matched up against a Spurs team with a clean bill of health, after Dylan Harper an De'Aaron Fox were battling injuries early in the series.
Projected Oklahoma City Thunder starting lineup without Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell in Game 5
STARTER | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | PG | Cason Wallace |
Alex Caruso | SG | Jared McCain |
Lu Dort | SF | Aaron Wiggins |
Chet Holmgren | PF | Jaylin Williams |
Isaiah Hartenstein | C | Jaylin Williams |
If Williams is able to play, Caruso moves back to the bench and Dort slides down a position. But with or without him the lineup, the biggest key for OKC has to be getting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander going. He's continued to draw fouls but he's shooting under 40 percent from the field and under 30 percent on 3-pointers in the series.
The Spurs have done a great job making things difficult for him, and forcing him to become a passer. He's averaging 10 assists per game in the series but San Antonio would much rather force other players to make shots and have SGA try to beat them as a facilitator. It makes sense that he could look to attack early, perhaps getting Stephon Castle or Devin Vassell in early foul trouble and try to push the Spurs to use a deeper array of defenders to try and stop him.
That all becomes a lot easier with Williams in the lineup but if he's out, the Thunder will need another big game and some serious shot-making from some combination of Wallace, Wiggins, McCain and Caruso.
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