Jalen Williams shines in Phoenix, delivering a scoring clinic before a hamstring tweak. Thunder overwhelm Suns with balanced offense and sharp execution.
The Oklahoma City Thunder is still without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander until after the All-Star break, but in its second-to-last game before the break, the team went to Phoenix and delivered one of its most impressive wins of the season, blowing out the Suns 136-109.
The night carried extra meaning for Jalen Williams. The game took place one night after Williams had his jersey retired at his high school, not far from where the Thunder played tonight, and it turned into something of a welcome-back party amid everything he has dealt with this season, from injuries to the uphill climb of rounding back into form. Williams opened with the best stretch of his year, starting 12-for-12 and scoring 28 points without missing a shot, putting himself on pace for one of the most efficient scoring nights we’ve seen from any player all season.
But on his 13th attempt, a missed layup in transition, Williams appeared to tweak his hamstring, the same injury that previously kept him out for an extended stretch. There’s no immediate word on the severity, but he left the floor right away, went back into the tunnel, then returned to the bench. Even with the abrupt pause, the overall takeaway was still encouraging. Williams looked like himself again, showing that even after offseason wrist surgery and a turbulent year physically, his ceiling remains firmly in superstar territory.
And overall, the Thunder didn’t just win. The Thunder dominated. Oklahoma City led for more than 45 minutes, trailed for just 33 seconds, and controlled the game from start to finish with balanced scoring and elite shot-making.
Isaiah Joe continued his hot streak, knocking down six 3s on the way to 21 points. Kenrich Williams added 15, and Jared McCain chipped in 12, including eight points in a 75-second burst that helped blow the game open in the first half. Chet Holmgren finished with 13, Aaron Wiggins had 12, and the Thunder ended the night with seven players in double figures.
The numbers tell the same story. The Thunder shot 58.4% from the field and 41.7% from 3-point range. Oklahoma City didn’t need a turnover avalanche to get separation, didn’t win the second-chance battle, and even lost the fast-break points category, but none of it mattered because the execution was sharp, the ball movement was clean, and the offense stayed in rhythm all night.
Now the Thunder heads back home for the second night of a back-to-back, hosting the Milwaukee Bucks tomorrow in its final game before the NBA All-Star break.