Is Jalen Williams Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Lakers vs. Thunder Game 3)

Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams has not played since Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs with a hamstring injury, and he entered the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers as "week-to-week."

Williams is officially out for Game 3 on Saturday with the Thunder holding a 2-0 series lead. OKC was 39-10 without Williams during the regular season, and it has not lost a game without him in the playoffs. The Thunder have back-to-back 18-point wins over the Lakers, and they find themselves as -5000 favorites to win this series.

Oddsmakers at DraftKings have set the Thunder as 8.5-point favorites on the road in Game 3, even with Williams ... OKC has relied on Ajay Mitchell more to carry the offense when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on the bench, and the Thunder have a ton of depth that allows them to still play at an elite level even without their All-NBA wing.

Williams had gotten off to a strong start in the playoffs, averaging 20.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 26.0 minutes per game against Phoenix. Hopefull for OKC, he'll be able to return at some point this postseason to help the team chase back-to-back titles.

With Williams out, I'm eyeing a bet for Ajay Mitchell in the prop market in Game 3.

Best Thunder Prop Bet vs. Lakers

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Ajay Mitchell 20+ Points and Assists (-141)

Jalen Williams’ hamstring injury has opened the door for Ajay Mitchell to start for OKC, and he’s taken the opportunity and thrived in the playoffs.

In four games without Williams, Mitchell has:

Game 3 vs. PHX: 15 points, 2 assists
Game 4 vs. PHX: 22 points, 6 assists
Game 1 vs. LAL: 18 points, 4 assists
Game 2 vs. LAL: 20 points, 6 assists

So, he’s cleared this line in three of four games as a starter, and he’s scored at least 20 points in two of those matchups.

The Lakers don’t have a good matchup for Mitchell, especially since Marcus Smart is drawing the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander assignment whenever he’s on the floor.

Mitchell averaged 13.6 points and 3.6 assists per game in the regular season, and I expect him to thrive in an expanded role in Game 3.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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