The Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder are taking their Round 1 series to The Valley, and Jalen Williams is unlikely to feature for the remainder of the matchup.
That is according to Tim Bontemps while speaking on "The Hoop Collective" podcast, going so far as it was "highly likely" Williams would not be seen until the next round.
Williams injury karma for Game 2 technical on Devin Booker
Injuries are a part of the game, but it was ironic that Williams would go down with a left hamstring strain in the same game that Devin Booker got the most outrageous technical of all-time called on him.
He might be struggling to reach the levels we're used to seeing out of him in this series and cannot blame the referees for that, but his technical felt like proof the Thunder have the officials on their side.
So for Williams to be forced to leave with a strain to the other hamstring (his right one kept him out on several occasions during the regular season) was a minor win for the Suns.
They're going to need a lot more than that to avoid getting swept, but it does even the playing field somewhat because of the injury issues of their own.
We're yet to see either Mark Williams or Grayson Allen, while Jordan Goodwin missed the Game 2 loss with a calf issue.
If the referees arrive in Phoenix and allow the game to be called differently for both sides, then that combined with the Williams injury could make the Thunder sit up and take notice.
As it is they appear to be able to do what they want on the defensive end, while getting favorable calls when attacking, and Williams has been a key part of that.
He's got the kind of bigger frame to rough Jalen Green up, while his abilities as a secondary playmaker are clear for all to see.
Maybe you don't believe in karma, choosing instead to look at the stats, facts and the reigning MVP being on the other side of the court.
But at a time when the series was spiralling out of control and Booker was being given a bogus tech, this Williams injury feels like the basketball Gods giving something small back to the Suns as a reward for trying to play this series the right way. It won't be enough, but it sure does feel good.
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