While Jalen Williams is expected to make his long-awaited season debut for the Thunder, Stephen Curry could miss a “week or so” for the Warriors due to a quad injury.
The defending champion OKC Thunder are flying high, blazing through the NBA with a league-best 18–1 start. And for their opponents, the worst may be yet to come.
All-Star Jalen Williams is expected to make his season debut in the Thunder’s NBA Cup group-stage finale against the Phoenix Suns, according to league insider Shams Charania.
Williams has been sidelined since July, first recovering from right wrist surgery, then undergoing a procedure to remove a screw in late October, after playing through a torn ligament during last season’s championship run.
In his absence, the Thunder didn’t just survive—they thrived.
OKC opened the season with eight straight wins, suffered its first loss to Portland, and then rattled off 10 more victories.
The Thunder have also found production elsewhere in Ajay Mitchell, who is averaging 15.9 points and 3.6 assists per game, and Isaiah Joe and his 13.2-point performance average.
Williams’ breakout last season established him as one of the league’s premier two-way stars, averaging 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.6 steals, earning selections to both the All-NBA and All-Defense teams.
While the Thunder soar, the Golden State Warriors are grappling with adversity.
Star guard Stephen Curry will miss “around a week or a little more” after sustaining a right quadriceps contusion, according to Charania and league insider Anthony Slater.
Curry limped off the court in the final minute of Golden State’s 104–100 loss to the Houston Rockets, a game in which the Warriors squandered a 14-point third-quarter lead.
He finished with 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists in 33 minutes.
The injury adds to Golden State’s mounting struggles in the competitive Western Conference. After a promising 4–1 start, the Warriors have dropped 9 of their next 15 games, falling to 10–10 and sliding into eighth place in Play-in contention.
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.