Thunder Injury Report for Game 7 vs. Spurs: Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell News

It all comes down to this for the Oklahoma City Thunder, as they have an 8:00 p.m. ET tip-off against the San Antonio Spurs to see who comes out of the West.

Saturday’s Western Conference Finals Game 7 doesn’t lack for star power, but it does carry numerous injury storylines to keep an eye on. On the OKC side, both SF Jalen Williams and SG Ajay Mitchell are nursing ailments as the month of May comes to a close. 

Below, we'll break down the latest Thunder injury report, if Williams and Mitchell will play tonight, and who to target on PrizePicks if they sit.

Make your NBA Playoff picks on PrizePicks — including ones for Saturday’s Spurs vs. Thunder WCF Game 7.

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Thunder Injury Report: Updates on Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell for Game 7

According to the NBA’s official injury report for Saturday, Williams is listed as out due to left hamstring injury management and Mitchell is out with a calf (soleus) strain. 

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at both players’ respective injuries heading into Spurs vs. Thunder Game 7. 

Is Jalen Williams Playing in Game 7 vs. Spurs?

It’s been a long, trying year for Williams, who suffered a hamstring injury twice during the regular season and has followed the same path in the NBA Playoffs. He’s appeared in just five of Oklahoma City’s postseason matchups thus far.

The All-Star man made his return to the lineup for Thursday’s Game 6, although he played just over 10 minutes and took a single shot. He contributed 1 point and 1 assist while being a -18 for the contest.

Following that 118-91 loss, head coach Mark Daigneault applauded Williams for doing what he could to play, saying the star wing “did the best he could.” In the same breath, Daigneault admitted Williams was “obviously not 100%” and neither he nor the team knew what to expect.

An interesting tidbit from Daigneault is that Williams hasn’t conducted a “full” return-to-play protocol. His situation seems to be anything but standard this postseason. 

Unfortunately for Williams, he won’t be suiting up for Saturday’s do-or-die outing in OKC. It’s unclear whether he suffered an in-game setback in Game 6 or his trial run simply didn’t land well with the team’s medical staff.

Williams played in 33 games during the regular season, averaging 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists on 48.4% shooting. He’s pitched in 14.4 PPG in the playoffs, albeit on just 11.2 shots each time out. 

Is Ajay Mitchell Playing in Game 7 vs. Spurs?

Mitchell is also out for Saturday’s Game 7 after sustaining an in-series injury. The sophomore guard left Game 3 after just under 17 minutes with a calf ailment, which has since been deemed a strain that’s held him out of action ever since.

The soleus injury has robbed Oklahoma City of one of its Williams replacements and a top bench scorer. Mitchell had produced at least 15 points in six of his 11 playoff games to this point, including three excellent outings in a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.

For the postseason, he’s averaged 15.1 PPG on 46.0% shooting from the field. 

Mitchell logged 57 regular-season games for the Thunder this campaign, netting 13.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 3.6 APG in 25.8 minutes per night. For his efforts, he finished fifth in Sixth Man of the Year voting and emerged as a huge breakout piece for the reigning champs. 

It remains to be seen whether Mitchell has a chance of returning for the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. Before the Thunder entertain that prospect, they first have to get past a feisty Spurs team in this pivotal clash. 

What Players to Target on PrizePicks With Williams & Mitchell Out?

Williams owned a negative net rating of -1.5 in the regular season, largely due to his lack of consistent availability. That hasn’t helped matters in the postseason, where the team (via databallr) performs 2.7 points per 100 possessions better on defense but 8.1 points worse on offense.

Mitchell’s postseason net rating is an absolutely absurd +31.6. In 307 leverage-adjusted minutes without him on the court in the playoffs, Oklahoma City’s offensive production drops by 20.6 points. 

As far as players are concerned, multiple pieces can and potentially will be asked to step up with J-Dub and Mitchell sitting. The first could be in-season trade pickup Jared McCain, who’s taken double-digit shots in five consecutive games. 

Guard Cason Wallace is also someone to keep an eye on. In Mitchell-less minutes, his usage rate jumps by a respectable 2.2%. Last, but certainly not least, is postseason hero SG Alex Caruso. The veteran stopper is a flamethrower this postseason and has a +16.7 plus-minus swing when Williams is on the bench.

Here are the Thunder players who may benefit most on PrizePicks with Williams and Mitchell both out, as well as their stat projections for tonight.

• Jared McCain vs. Spurs Projections: 13.5 Points / 1.5 Assists (Goblin) / 2 3-PT Made
• Cason Wallace vs. Spurs Projections: 9 Points / 3.5 Rebounds / 2.5 Assists
• Alex Caruso vs. Spurs Projections: 11 Points / 2.5 Assists / 2 3-PT Made

It’s abundantly clear that Caruso’s a playoff riser when it comes to efficiency. McCain has seen his volume increase a ton, though, which could give him opportunities to fill up the stat sheet in Game 7. 

Pick More or Less Thunder player stats on PrizePicks now before tonight’s tip.

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Make Spurs vs. Thunder Game 7 Picks on PrizePicks

Down two productive pieces in the biggest game of the year thus far, Oklahoma City will have to find a way to overcome adversity if it wants to continue its quest for back-to-back titles. Will San Antonio send a statement with a huge win on Saturday? 

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