The Return Of Jalen Williams Gets OKC Back In The Win Column

The Thunder got the best of the Lakers on Monday night, thanks to 23 points from Jalen Williams.

Feb 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams (8) dunks the ball over Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

OKC received a much-needed helping hand to avoid another loss. 

The Thunder traveled to Los Angeles on Monday to take on the Lakers, desperately needing a win. Oklahoma City walked into this game coming off back-to-back losses and had high hopes to turn its dry stretch around. 

The Thunder squad was once again without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as he is still dealing with an abdominal strain. The absence of the MVP had hindered OKC’s performance in the last two outings and was expected to be an issue against a formidable Laker team. However, the return of another OKC star gave the Thunder some much-needed help to push past Los Angeles.

Jalen Williams made his return to the hardwood after missing 10 straight games due to a hamstring strain, and he didn’t seem to miss a beat. Williams was the game’s leading scorer, as he had 23 points to help the Thunder push past L.A. 119-110. The guard had OKC’s last six points, which pushed Oklahoma City’s lead from one possession to nine points. 

Seeing Williams contribute at such a high level after his inactive stretch is hopefully a sign of what’s to come for OKC. The Thunder are without Gilgeous-Alexander for at least two more games and will need Williams to continue to step up. 

His stellar first-night-back performance is also hopefully a sign of what is to come for the rest of Williams’ season. The fourth-year guard has battled injuries all season, as he missed the first part of the season battling a wrist injury that he had surgery for in the offseason. 

His nagging health issues have limited Williams to only 24 games so far this year, and have limited the impact he has on the game. When he is on the court, Williams is averaging 16.8 points, 5.6 assist and 4.8 rebounds per game. This is the least amount of points he has averaged since his rookie year, and although it isn’t bad considering the loaded Thunder roster, it's not the direction OKC wanted to see Williams go in. 

There is still plenty of season left for Williams to show that when healthy, he can be one of the best players in the league, and hopefully, he’s back on that road now. Oklahoma City will be looking at Williams to lead it these last two games before the All-Star break, and after Monday night, it seems he’s once again up for the challenge. 

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