OKC Thunder Gain All-NBA Swingman Back For 76ers Matchup

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen Jalen Williams sidelined since before the All-Star Break. Now, he makes his return against the 76ers on Monday in a must-watch matchup.

Feb 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard/forward Jalen Williams reacts after his team scores against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Monday's cross-conference tilt against the Philadelphia 76ers was always going to be an important matchup for both sides. Each team has massive standing implications down the stretch of this season. The Thunder are attempting to hold onto the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with the San Antonio Spurs on their heels, just three games back with the tiebreaker in hand.

The 76ers are in the midst of a postseason chase in the Eastern Conference, attempting to at least cling to a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference postseason. Philadelphia 6-4 in their last ten games and just a game out of the No. 5 seed out East to make the postseason outright.

Oklahoma City owns the best record in the NBA at 56-15, aiming for its third straight No. 1 seed in the Western Conference despite all the injury adversity the Thunder have faced throughout the 2025-26 campaign. OKC puts its 11-game winning streak on the line, turning in a 10-0 record over its last ten games.

For the first time since Jan. 21, the Oklahoma City Thunder saw Ajay Mitchell return to the hardwood and help guide the Bricktown Ballers to a win last week over the Denver Nuggets. Mitchell earned the start in the Thunder's last four contests to help the team's offensive output. He has hit the ground running for the Thunder in his return, but will serve a one game suspension in this contest due to a fight in Saturday's game against Washington. Mitchell is the only Thunder rotational player out for Monday's tilt with the 76ers.

The OKC Thunder have been without All-NBA swingman Jalen Williams since before the All-Star break due to a re-aggravated hamstring strain suffered on Feb. 11 in Phoenix against the Suns. In that game, Williams posted 28 points, four rebounds, five assists, shooting 11-for-12 from the floor, 2-for-2 from distance and 4-for-5 at the charity stripe in 20 minutes of action.

Williams looked the most like himself in that game than in any of his other 26 tilts to this point in the season. After missing the Thunder's last 16 contests, the Santa Clara product is ready to make his return.

The Philadelphia 76ers are a good team to go up against in your first game back after a long layoff to fully get your legs under you given the circumstances of this schedule. While the 76ers are better than the toothless tigers the Thunder have played this week, it still can serve as a ramp up for the team's NBA Finals preview against the Boston Celtics coming on Wednesday.

The most important outcome from Monday's game is allowing for it to be a launching pad to get the All-NBA swingman more reps with his Thunder teammates and get Oklahoma City clicking at full strength ahead of the postseason.