Williams ruled out for Game 7 as Thunder face Spurs without All-Star guard
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams has been ruled out of Saturday's Western Conference finals Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs, the team confirmed Friday, sidelined by a left hamstring injury that has restricted him to a limited role since May 20, 2026. Williams, an All-Star and All-NBA selection, is one of the Thunder's primary offensive contributors, and his absence represents a significant blow ahead of a winner-take-all contest at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Williams first appeared to aggravate the hamstring during Oklahoma City's 122-113 Game 2 victory. He missed the following three games before returning in Game 6, but logged only 10 minutes off the bench as the Spurs won 118-91 in San Antonio on Thursday - a result that forced Saturday's decisive match. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault acknowledged the guard was not close to full fitness and praised Williams for attempting to contribute under the circumstances. "He's obviously not 100%," Daigneault said. "He hasn't done a full return to play [protocol] like he would if this was the regular season, and yet, he just wants to do whatever he can to try to contribute whatever he can to the team. I give him a lot of credit to get himself out there. He did the best he could. He's certainly not the reason we lost." Williams did not speak to reporters following Thursday's loss.
The 2025-26 regular season was already disrupted for Williams, who appeared in just 33 games after undergoing wrist surgery in the offseason. Despite missing significant time, he has remained central to the Thunder's postseason identity - a role he filled last season as Oklahoma City advanced to the NBA Finals. In Game 6, San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama posted 28 points and 10 rebounds, underlining the offensive challenge Oklahoma City faces without Williams available to shoulder a primary scoring burden.
The winner of Saturday's Game 7 advances to the NBA Finals to face the New York Knicks, who swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals - ending a Finals drought for New York stretching back nearly three decades. For Oklahoma City, the task of keeping their season alive now falls to the roster Daigneault has available, without the All-Star guard who has defined much of the team's offensive structure throughout the playoff run.
