OKC Thunder’s Jalen Williams was guarding Luka Doncic when the Los Angeles Lakers star injured his left hamstring on Thursday.
Following the injury, which has since ruled Doncic out for the remainder of the regular season, Williams expressed his feelings seeing the Lakers guard hurt himself during the Thunder’s 139-96 blowout win over LA.
“I feel really bad for him. It’s very spooky, in a way, to see it happen to him, and I’m the one guarding him,” Williams said during the Thunder-Lakers post-game press conference.
“That was a weird play. I didn’t even want to take off. I think he lost the ball. I could’ve let off with the ball…That injury sucks. So, I wish him a speedy recovery,” he added.
Doncic tried to get past Williams on a drive early in the third quarter before limping and turning the ball over. Doncic went down with his hand on his face before the Lakers called a timeout to sub him out of the game.
He did not return to the game and was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain on Friday.
Williams feels for Doncic, considering the Thunder star’s history with hamstring injuries. He debuted in the Thunder’s 20th regular-season game because of a wrist injury, then hurt his right hamstring on Jan. 17 against the Miami Heat.
Williams suffered another setback on Feb. 11 against the Phoenix Suns when he injured his hamstring once more after putting up 28 points in 20 minutes on 11-of-12 shooting from the field.
Doncic’s status for the playoffs is uncertain following his injury, giving the Lakers a massive hole to fill while he is out of action.
Meanwhile, Williams still has five more regular games remaining to further prepare for playoff basketball after an up-and-down regular season.
The Thunder sits atop the Western Conference, while the Lakers have risen to third spot with five games left in their schedule.
Jalen Williams Gets Candid on Managing His Hamstring Injuries
GettyJalen Williams speaks on his injury management this season.
Jalen Williams felt the weight of an injury-hampered year for most of the 2025-2026 NBA season.
After describing what he felt upon seeing Luka Doncic’s injury, Williams expressed how arduous it was to manage his hamstring injuries.
“That’s been the hardest part of the season. Not playing; playing,” he said. “You get into a rhythm, and then I miss too many games.”
Williams added that the setbacks allowed him to pick up new lessons about himself.
“I’ve been relatively healthy my whole entire career. I got to learn a lot about myself. “I think the biggest thing for me is to put an emphasis on continuing to attack and take care of the rest of my body,” he said.
Williams has played in 31 games for the Thunder so far, norming 17.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game.
Thunder Set To Enjoy a Relatively Healthy Lineup Ahead of NBA Playoffs
GettyThe Thunder remains deep entering the NBA playoffs.
The Thunder has been one of the deepest teams in the league throughout the season, and they could retain such depth in the playoffs, as only two players are currently on their injury list.
With Williams slowly getting back to form, the Thunder only have Alex Caruso and Lu Dort on the injury list.
Caruso did not play against the Lakers due to illness. On the other hand, Dort helped set the tone for the Thunder in the lopsided win but exited the game after a hard fall.
The team is expected to remain loaded in their guard rotation with the likes of Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain, Cason Wallace, and Isaiah Joe, among others.
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