Thunder now know how long they'll be without Jalen Williams after hamstring injury

It was a sight that Oklahoma City Thunder fans had seen too many times this season: Jalen Williams grimacing in pain and walking down the tunnel, leaving a basketball game to which he would not return.

Injuries have been the theme of Williams' frustrating 2025-26 season, and the Thunder's All-Star guard suffered a recurrence of his left hamstring strain in the second quarter of Oklahoma City's 122-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

With this Western Conference Finals series now a best-of-five affair, the Thunder did not want to lose one of their best players once again -- even though Williams has been limited to 37 games between the regular season and the playoffs.

Williams considered "game-to-game"

ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Williams' injury is being treated as "day by day" and "game to game."

The 25-year-old will undergo treatment, and his return will be determined by how he personally is feeling in the days ahead.

Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams will be evaluated day by day, game to game with a left hamstring injury, sources tell ESPN. He'll undergo treatment and return based on how he feels recovering from the second injury to the same hamstring in under one month. pic.twitter.com/PJDfKWHRhn

Williams did not debut this season until Nov. 28 as he recovered from offseason wrist surgery. Williams then suffered a strain to his right hamstring in January before he returned in time for the playoffs, when he strained the other hamstring in Game 2 of the Thunder's first-round sweep of the Phoenix Suns.

The Thunder split the first two games of the West finals in Oklahoma City and play again Friday night in San Antonio. Though the Thunder have been able to flourish without Williams, Oklahoma City will need its impressive depth -- highlighted by breakout postseason star Ajay Mitchell -- to continue carrying the load as long as Williams is sidelined with his latest injury.

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