Jalen Williams

Northwest Notes: SGA, Williams, Adelman, Randle

All-NBA Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has taken responsibility for his underwhelming play in an overtime Game 3 road loss to the Nuggets, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

The 6’6″ pro, the presumptive 2025 MVP, scored an inefficient 18 points while shooting just 7-of-22 from the field and didn’t attempt a shot during the overtime frame. All-Star Oklahoma City forward Jalen Williams scored a career playoff-best 32 points.

“The game gets slower, execution matters more,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “In those moments when the game slows down, it usually comes down to your best players making shots and making plays. I didn’t do a good enough job of that tonight, and I think that’s the main reason for the outcome.”

Nuggets stars Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. all made up for MVP center Nikola Jokic‘s similarly inefficient night. Each member of that triumvirate scored at least 21 points, with Murray’s 27 leading the way.

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

  • The ascent of Williams as a true offensive release valve for Gilgeous-Alexander is a testament to the Thunder‘s patient team-building, asserts Rylan Stiles of Thunder On SI. Despite winning 68 games during the regular season, the Thunder have struggled mightily against Denver, and currently trail the Nuggets 2-1 in their conference semifinal series, with Game 4 ongoing. The team’s young core may need more time to jell together in the postseason to really do the kind of damage it may eventually be capable of. Still, Williams has developed a steadier hand as a scorer. The third-year forward is averaging 22.6 points, 5.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per night across seven playoff contests so far.
  • Just two years removed from their first-ever title as a franchise, the seasoned Nuggets seem to be capitalizing on a playoff experience edge over most of the Thunder’s young core, observes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required). Interim Denver coach David Adelman reflected on Oklahoma City’s relative inexperience in the postseason. “We were young once, and we handled it pretty well,” Adelman said. “And they do, too. That’s why they won so many games. The reason they haven’t played a lot of close games is they have completely blown the doors off people the whole season. If I was coaching a team, I would rather do that than play 55 four-point games.” As Durando notes, the Thunder logged the best point differential in league history this past regular season — but thanks in part to that, the team notched a scant 66 “clutch” minutes, the least in a season for any team in the 21st century.
  • The Timberwolves rode a 24-point, 12-assist, 10-rebound triple-double from Julius Randle to carve out a 102-97 Game 3 victory and a 2-1 series edge over Golden State, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I feel like I just got a lot of different tools, you know what I mean?” Randle said. “It’s really about using my mind and taking what the defense gives me. If they don’t double-team me, score. If they double-team me, find my guys.”

And-Ones: Wright, Rookie Extensions, All-Interview Team, More

Former Colorado guard McKinley Wright IV, who appeared in 32 NBA regular season games for Minnesota and Dallas from 2021-23, has been named the Most Valuable Player for the ABA League (formerly known as the Adriatic League) in Europe.

Wright has spent the last two seasons playing for KK Buducnost and led the Montenegrin team to a 26-4 record and a No. 1 seed in ABA competition this season. The 26-year-old, known as a solid perimeter defender, averaged team bests of 12.8 points and 4.9 assists in 22.5 minutes per game, with an excellent shooting line of .545/.370/.848.

Wright now has the honor of sharing a career accomplishment with future Hall of Famer Nikola Jokic, who was named the MVP of the ABA League in 2014/15, his age-20 season, when he played for Mega Basket in Serbia.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Thunder Notes: Historic Comeback, Caruso, Holmgren, SGA

After two lopsided victories in their first-round series against Memphis, the Thunder found themselves in a major hole in the first half of Game 3. Oklahoma City trailed by as many as 29 points and entered halftime down 26.

In the moment, it sucks,” All-Star Jalen Williams said, per Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. “It’s not something that you want to make a habit of. But we also have extreme confidence in how we can play to kind of turn the tide.”

Aided in part by Ja Morant‘s hip injury, the Thunder were relentless on defense in the second half, forcing the Grizzlies into more turnovers (13) than made field goals (nine). Alex Caruso was at his best during that stretch, recording four steals in the final 14 minutes, Lorenzi adds.

Our defense is our superpower,” Caruso said. “When we’re locked in on that side of the ball, we’re an unstoppable force.”

The Thunder ultimately pulled off the second-largest comeback in NBA playoff history, notes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. It was also the first time in playoff history that a team overcame a 26-point halftime deficit, according to Lorenzi.

Here’s more on the Thunder, who now hold a 3-0 lead on Memphis ahead of Saturday’s Game 4:

  • While much of the post-game focus was on Caruso’s excellent defensive work, head coach Mark Daigneault didn’t view his performance as out of the ordinary (Twitter video link via HoopsHype). “He changes every game he’s in,” Daigneault said of Caruso. “He’s like that every night, he’s like that in a preseason game, he’s constantly engaged in the competition and the size of the stage or the pressure of the game doesn’t impact him at all.”
  • In a column that was publishd prior to Game 3 and looks prescient in retrospect, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman explained why he believed Caruso was the “perfect playoff player” for Oklahoma City. “I feel like I’m one of the great competitors in this league,” Caruso said Tuesday. “I might not be in the top half, quarter, wherever you want to put it talent-wise… but as far as competing and putting it all out there and trying to win, I’m in the elite group of that.”
  • Big man Chet Holmgren finished the first half with one point and missed all four of his field goal attempts, but he caught fire in the second half, scoring 23 points, including 16 in the third quarter, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN relays. “Mark changed the trajectory of the game,” Holmgren said. “Trusted me in calling a play for me to bomb one at the half after the s— storm I put up in the first half. Credit to him for that. Once I saw one go in, I felt good.”
  • While the Thunder are in good shape heading into Saturday’s contest, star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has surprisingly struggled with efficiency thus far in the playoffs. In a detailed film breakdown, Rylan Stiles of SI.com says Gilgeous-Alexander has simply been missing shots he normally makes and isn’t worried about how he’ll fare for the rest of the postseason.

Thunder Notes: Hartenstein, Holmgren, Dort, SGA, Williams

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault didn’t get to use his twin tower lineup as much as he expected this season, but he’s seen enough to have confidence in it heading into the playoffs, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

After getting pounded on the boards in a second-round series loss to Dallas last year, Oklahoma City made finding another big man an offseason priority. The club was able to land Isaiah Hartenstein on a three-year, $87MM contract in free agency and planned to team him with Chet Holmgren to form a combination that could match up with the more physical teams in the West.

However, Hartenstein broke his left hand during the preseason and didn’t play his first game with OKC until November 20. By that time, Holmgren had suffered a fractured hip that kept him sidelined until early February. They were active on the same night only 20 times this season and logged 316 minutes together. It’s a small sample, but Daigneault liked how they looked.

“It would be more uncomfortable if it was like really stalling,” he said. “If it wasn’t getting off the ground or if it was low-impact or if it was clunky, then that’s a harder decision of (how much to use it). But it was good right away in unpredictable ways.”

The combination was effective on both ends of the court — Slater notes that the Thunder posted a 122.9 offensive rating and 109.4 defensive rating when they played together and outscored their opponents by 96 points. Their next challenge will be a matchup with 7’4″ rookie Zach Edey and Jaren Jackson Jr. in a first-round series against Memphis.

“The offensive flow that we’ve been able to maintain with two seven-footers on the floor (is key),” Daigneault said. “It’s something that always concerns you when you go super big. But I think it speaks to how skilled those guys are. They’re both in their own way very dynamic.”

There’s more from Oklahoma City:

  • In an interview with Marc J. Spears of AndscapeLuguentz Dort talked about his chances of earning Defensive Player of the Year honors. Dort admits that defensive excellence can be difficult to quantify, but he hopes voters take the Thunder’s 68-win season into consideration. “This is just not numbers,” he said. “You got to be able to watch the games and see exactly what the players are doing on the court. I don’t think I have the most steals or the most blocks or whatever. But I know that every time I have a matchup, my matchup is in hell. So, it is hard to (define) because if you just go based on the numbers, I probably won’t be in a conversation. But if you watch the (other) games and watch our games the whole season, you could see that I take a lot of pride (in defense).”
  • Playoff inexperience is the major question facing the Thunder after a dominant regular season, notes Mark Medina of Athlon Sports. Players don’t believe that will be an issue, and they’re taking inspiration from last year’s early exit. “We have a ‘whatever it takes’ mentality,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “The goal is to win. However you get it done, it’s a step in the right direction. It’s going to look ugly at times. It’s going to look pretty at times. We want to be a team that gets it done, regardless.”
  • The playoffs present an opportunity for Jalen Williams to earn more national recognition, per Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated. Williams has only been in 10 postseason games, but he’ll be counted on to help Gilgeous-Alexander carry the scoring load.

Award Candidates Who Still Need To Reach 65-Game Mark

There are just 12 days left in the 2024/25 regular season, which means time is running out for certain end-of-season award candidates to meet the 65-game minimum to qualify for consideration.

A player doesn’t need to reach that 65-game mark in order to be eligible for Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, or All-Rookie teams, but it’s a necessary requirement for most of the marquee awards: Most Valuable Player, All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and Most Improved Player.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), the following players who could be in the mix for one or more of those awards haven’t yet met the 65-game criteria, but still have a chance to do so:

In some cases, a player’s actual games played total doesn’t match up with the figure noted above. That’s because in order for a game to count before the 65-game minimum, the player must be on the court for at least 20 minutes. A player is also permitted to count a maximum of two games between 15 and 20 minutes toward that minimum.

Let’s use Mobley as an example. The Cavaliers big man has technically appeared in 66 games this season, but he played just 12 minutes in one of those games, 18 minutes in two of them, and 19 minutes in one. That means he only has 64 games that actually count toward the minimum — all 62 games in which he played 20-plus minutes, along with two of those games between 15-20 minutes.

Mobley will have to play at least 20 minutes once more this season in order to be eligible for awards like Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and All-NBA. Given that he’s healthy and the Cavs still have seven games left on their schedule, Mobley should have no problem meeting that requirement. But it’ll be a taller order for some of the other players on this list.

Durant is currently sidelined with an ankle sprain and has been ruled out for at least two more games. He would have to play 20-plus minutes in three of the Suns‘ final four games to be award-eligible. Brunson, on the shelf due to his own ankle sprain, is in a similar boat, though the Knicks guard has a chance to return before Durant does.

Lillard, who is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his calf, seems pretty unlikely to play in six of the Bucks‘ last seven games. Holiday is healthy but has no wiggle room to miss any of the Celtics‘ remaining seven games.

Many of this year’s other top award contenders have already met the 65-game criteria. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic did so in style on Tuesday night — his 65th game of the season was an incredible 61-point triple-double in a 140-139 double-overtime loss to Minnesota.

However, according to the latest straw poll conducted by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Jokic is the clear runner-up to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who has played 72 games) in the MVP race. Of the 100 media members polled by Bontemps, 77 picked the Thunder guard as their Most Valuable Player, while just 23 chose Jokic. The three-time MVP may need a couple more performances like Tuesday’s in order to close that gap by the end of the season.

Besides Jokic, one other notable player who has narrowly eclipsed the 65-game minimum is Cade Cunningham. The Pistons guard has missed four games in a row with a left calf injury and is considered doubtful to return on Wednesday, but he played his 65th game on March 19, prior to his recent absence.

That’s especially important for Cunningham and the Pistons because, as Bontemps notes, the fourth-year guard is considered a virtual lock to earn a spot on one of this year’s All-NBA teams, which will ensure that his maximum-salary rookie scale extension begins at 30% of the 2025/26 salary cap instead of 25%. That would increase the overall projected value of Cunningham’s five-year deal from $224.2MM to $269.1MM.

Thunder Notes: Dort, SGA, J. Williams, Caruso, Scouts

Asked on Friday about the defensive impact of big men vs. wings in relation to Luguentz Dort‘s Defensive Player of the Year case, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault didn’t fully engage in that debate, but he argued that Dort has been the standout and the constant of the NBA’s top-ranked defense (Twitter video link via Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman).

“We have a lot of really good defenders, but he’s anchored consistently what’s been the best defensive league numerically to this point in the season, by a long shot,” Daigneault said.

The gap between the Thunder’s 106.1 defensive rating and that of the No. 2 Magic (109.5) is greater than the difference between Orlando and the No. 12 Heat (112.5).

For his part, Dort tells Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that while he’s focused on winning games rather than winning awards, he would be honored to make an All-Defense team or to be named Defensive Player of the Year.

“I don’t play for that. I want to win,” Dort said. “And I want to do everything I can to look good for my teammates. But it’s always good to get rewarded for that. So if my name is up there, I’ll be good.”

Here’s more on the Thunder:

  • In speaking to Medina, Dort was more interested in advocating for teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to earn MVP honors than to make his own case for award recognition. Thunder forward Jalen Williams conveyed a similar sentiment while talking to D.J. Siddiqi of Basketball Insiders. “I think he’s the MVP,” Williams said of SGA. “Obviously I’m his teammate, so I’m very inclined to say that. From what I see, the amount of Michael Jordan comparisons and the accolades and all that, I think it would be a very big disservice to him if he’s not the MVP, just based on what he’s been able to accomplish this year.”
  • Williams returned to action on Thursday after missing seven games due to a right hip strain and was effective in his first game back, contributing 20 points, five rebounds, and four assists in 29 minutes as Oklahoma City set a franchise record with its 61st regular season win, Lorenzi writes for The Oklahoman. However, a pair of Thunder regulars – Alex Caruso (low back soreness) and Jaylin Williams (left hip stiffness) – did leave the game early due to injuries, Lorenzi notes (via Twitter). It’s unclear if either player will have to miss any additional time as a result of those ailments — Rylan Stiles of Thunder On SI tweets that Caruso and Williams have been listed as questionable for OKC’s matchup with Indiana on Saturday.
  • The Thunder are losing multiple members of their scouting department to college programs, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. As Scotto details, amateur scout Corey Evans is expected to be named the general manager at the University of Cincinnati, while fellow scout Andrew Slater has left the team to take the GM position at North Carolina State.

Northwest Notes: SGA, Dort, Avdija, Kessler

With a matchup against the injury-riddled Sixers on Wednesday, the Thunder have chosen to give Most Valuable Player candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a break. The team has announced that SGA won’t play, listing rest as the reason, ESPN relays. It won’t impact Gilgeous-Alexander’s eligibility for the MVP — he’s already played 66 games, one more than needed to qualify for postseason awards.

Jalen Williams and Luguentz Dort are also out due to hip injuries while Isaiah Hartenstein (back) and Cason Wallace (shoulder) are listed as questionable.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • Speaking of Dort, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault told The Oklahoman’s Joel Lorenzi (Twitter link) that he deserves consideration for defensive awards such as All-Defensive Team and Defensive Player of the Year. “I think his time has come for that. I think he’ll get that recognition this year. … we have the best defense in the league statistically and he’s anchored that the entire season,” Daigneault said. “The amount of 30-point games we’ve given up is the lowest in the league by any metric. He’s guarding most of those guys.” Dort has appeared in 62 games and needs to play three more games to qualify for those awards.
  • Forward Deni Avdija admits he was blindsided when Washington traded him to the Trail Blazers. “It was nighttime at my place (in Israel), and I woke up. I saw I got traded, and it was very hard for me,” he told Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “All the friendships that I had with the guys there, the city, the fans — it all just disappeared in a second. But everything’s for the good. I feel like I found a nice home in Portland.” Avdija has ramped up his production this month,  averaging 20.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in March. “We’ve let him have a lot more responsibility with the ball, and he keeps proving to get better and better at it,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “He’s like a one-man fast break when he gets the ball. Some of these things, I didn’t even know about when we got him, because we only played him twice a year, so I didn’t know that much. But he’s been a pleasant surprise. The fire that he plays with, I think, takes our team to another level.”
  • Jazz coach Will Hardy has given Walker Kessler the green light to shoot three-pointers. “I’m very, very appreciative of him to give me the opportunity to work on it,” Kessler told Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune. “And I know, and I believe in myself to know that I can do that. I need to get back in the rhythm of how to do it, because it’s been a long time since I’ve really done it in volume.” Kessler, who will be rested against the Wizards on Wednesday, has taken 11 outside shots in his last two appearances but knocked down just one.

NBA Looking At Thunder, Sixers For Possible Player Participation Policy Violations

The NBA is investigating the Thunder and the Sixers for possible violations of the league’s player participation policy, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.

According to Charania, the NBA is looking specifically at the Thunder’s March 7 game vs. Portland, in which the team sat its entire starting five: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (rest), Chet Holmgren (lower leg contusion), Jalen Williams (wrist sprain), Luguentz Dort (patellofemoral soreness), and Isaiah Hartenstein (nasal fracture re-injury). Cason Wallace (right knee contusion) also missed the game, which wasn’t part of a back-to-back set.

While Holmgren sat out Oklahoma City’s March 5 contest too, the other five players who missed the Portland game were available on both March 5 and March 9.

Gilgeous-Alexander is the only Thunder player who meets the “star” criteria as defined by the player participation policy, but there’s a precedent for teams being penalized for sitting several “non-star” starters in the same game — the Nets were hit with a $100K fine last season for making a similar move.

Still, Rylan Stiles of SI.com (Twitter link) and Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link) are among the reporters to question the necessity of investigating the Thunder for their approach to the Portland game, given that they’ve had a strenuous post-All-Star schedule and still won the game by 18 points. Marks suggests that the league should be focused more on lottery-bound teams who may be flaunting the policy in an effort to improve their draft odds.

The Jazz, one such lottery-bound team, were fined $100K two days ago for a player participation policy. The Sixers, who have also seemingly pivoted to prioritizing lottery position in recent weeks, ruled out 11 players for Friday’s game vs. Indiana.

According to Charania, the league is looking at the Sixers due to the recent absences of Paul George (knee/back/finger) and Tyrese Maxey (back/finger). George has missed the past five games, while Maxey has been out for the past six, though head coach Nick Nurse said after Friday’s loss that Maxey should return at some point during Philadelphia’s upcoming six-game road trip (Twitter link via Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports).

The league may determine that the absences of George, Maxey, and the rest of the inactive Sixers players are legitimate, but if the club is determined to have violated the player participation policy, it could face a fine of $250K. That’s the amount for a second violation, and the 76ers already received a $100K fine earlier this season.

Injury Notes: Williams, Giddey, Porzingis, LeBron

After suffering a hip strain in the second half of a victory over Denver on Monday, Thunder All-Star forward Jalen Williams was ruled out for Wednesday’s road contest against Boston, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). Aaron Wiggins drew the start in Williams’ absence

With their 118-112 win over Boston on Wednesday, the Thunder have ensured they’ll avoid the play-in tournament in the West, having clinched a top-six playoff spot, per the NBA (via Twitter).

According to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link), Williams didn’t travel with the Thunder as they embarked on a three-game road trip. Reigning Coach of the Year Mark Daigneault indicated on Wednesday that the team has yet to determine a recovery timeline for the 6’5″ forward.

Here are a few more health-related updates from around the NBA:

  • Bulls guard Josh Giddey sprained his right ankle in the fourth quarter of an eventual 121-103 win over Indiana on Monday. The 6’8″ pro, a restricted free agent this summer, was in a walking boot briefly to stabilize the ankle, but head coach Billy Donovan revealed that he is now out of the boot, per KC Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). Although Giddey is recovering well, Donovan said that he expected him to “be out for a little bit.” Johnson tweets that the fourth-year guard is engaging in toe raises and walking, but has no return timeline until Chicago brass can gauge how he holds up in on-court workouts. Giddey indicated that he will travel with the team for its upcoming road trip, according to Johnson (via Twitter).
  • In the loss to Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Celtics starting center Kristaps Porzingis sat out his seventh straight game due to a viral illness, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). Porzingis was originally listed as questionable before being ruled out a couple hours prior to tip-off. Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters pregame that he did not have a sense of when the 7’2″ big man would be available, with the postseason just a month away. 38-year-old veteran big man Al Horford started in Porzingis’ stead.
  • A medical recommendation prompted 21-time All-Star Lakers forward LeBron James to depart L.A.’s road trip and return home for further treatment on his groin strain, sources inform Shams Charania of ESPN. Los Angeles will wrap up the road trip with games in Milwaukee and Denver on Thursday and Friday, respectively. James exited the Lakers’ Saturday loss to Boston in the fourth quarter, and reports have indicated that he’ll miss at least one or two weeks with the injury.

Injury Notes: J. Williams, Haliburton, Porzingis, Beal

A Monday loss to Denver won’t hurt the Thunder in the standings at all, given that they still hold an 11-game lead on their Northwest rivals. But a loss that occurred in the second quarter of the game may be of greater concern for the Thunder — forward Jalen Williams sustained a right hip injury and was ruled out for the second half due to a hip strain, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

According to MacMahon, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault didn’t have any additional details on Williams’ injury after the game, simply telling reporters that the 23-year-old would be evaluated on Tuesday. Once that evaluation is completed, the team should have a better idea of how much time – if any – Williams will have to miss.

The 12th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Williams quickly emerged as a full-time starter and crucial contributor for the West’s top team. In 61 games this season, he’s averaging career highs of 21.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per contest.

Here are a few more health-related updates from around the NBA:

  • Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton missed a third consecutive game on Monday due to a left hip flexor strain, as Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star writes. “Tyrese is not ready,” head coach Rick Carlisle said during his pregame media session. “He’s out. He’s getting closer, he’s just not there yet. Not sure where this is going to be (Tuesday for the home game against the Bucks) but today is not the day.” Indiana is now 0-4 without Haliburton available this season, so the team will be hoping his absence doesn’t last much longer.
  • Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis has now been out for six consecutive games and nearly two full weeks due to illness. He took to Twitter on Monday to explain his lengthy layoff. “I have been dealing with some viral illness that we haven’t been able to fully identify yet,” Porzingis wrote. “I am recovering and getting better. But still working my way back to full strength to help this team. Thanks for support and I’m hoping for a healthy return soon.”
  • Suns guard Bradley Beal was held out of the second end of a back-to-back set on Monday as the team continues to manage his calf, says Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Beal missed five games in November with a left calf strain and two more in late February with left calf tightness. The club will continue to keep an eye on that issue going forward, Rankin adds, so it’s possible the veteran will continue to miss the occasional game down the stretch.