The Oklahoma City Thunder host the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, May 30, in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. The winner will advance to play the New York Knicks for all the marbles.
Naturally, in a series this physical and exhausting, there have been unfortunate injury developments for both teams. Unfortunately for OKC, the No. 1 seed is set to be without two integral contributors in this winner-take-all ballgame.
Jalen Williams (hamstring), Ajay Mitchell (calf) ruled out for Spurs-Thunder Game 7
Jalen Williams missed the entire first two rounds with a hamstring injury. Seven minutes into Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, he re-aggravated his left hamstring, which held him out until Game 6. Upon his return on Thursday night, Williams dropped one point, one assist and two turnovers and was a -18 in 10 minutes. Not exactly himself.
Ajay Mitchell, meanwhile, suffered a calf strain in Game 3 of this series. He struggled to combat OKC's defensive size and versatility, but Mitchell was integral to the Thunder's second-round sweep of L.A.
Williams is an All-Star and a full-time starter. Mitchell earned votes for Sixth Man of the Year this past season, and ironically, he was Williams' injury replacement in the lineup down the stretch. Now, neither is available in a critical start.
Projected Thunder starting lineup without Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell in Game 7
STARTER | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | PG | Cason Wallace |
Jared McCain | SG | Alex Caruso |
Lu Dort | SF | Isaiah Joe |
Chet Holmgren | PF | Kenrich Williams |
Isaiah Hartenstein | C | Jaylin Williams |
Jared McCain has started the last two games for OKC and figures to start again in Game 7. He has been a revelation in these playoffs. Not only does McCain's volume shooting help grease the wheels on the Thunder offense, but he's a brawny, physical slasher who can really play his part in the OKC machine. McCain's physicality, IQ and skill is a rare blend. He's not a "bad" or "emergency" starter.
Lu Dort will continue to muck it up on the wing, while the rest of OKC's high-money stars — SGA, Holmgren and Hartenstein — are all locks at this point. The Thunder are, somehow, still the deeper team in this matchup. The Spurs' bench has a couple heavyweights in Dylan Harper and ocassionally Keldon Johnson, but OKC has a unique ability to mix and match, plug and play, and never miss a beat. Even if Mark Daigneault is forced to stretch deep into his reserves.
Caruso and Wallace are proven high-level performances in these big moments. Those are two of the greatest defensive guards in the NBA right now. Meanwhile, Jaylin Williams probably deserves more credit for the job he has done as OKC's backup center. The shooting, the nifty connective passing, the physical and unrelenting defense — even in the face of steep athletic disadvantages — is all commendable.
OKC should not panic tonight. But the Spurs are clearly built to win, and every Thunder fan would obviously prefer a healthier lineup. Time will tell if San Antonio can take advantage.
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