Thunder’s Jalen Williams Reflects on Mavericks’ Defense in Tough Loss

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a 20-point deficit but ultimately fell short in a 106-98 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night. The game marked a challenging night for Thunder forward Jalen Williams, who faced heightened defensive pressure in the absence of All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, sidelined with a sore wrist.

“Tonight was probably the heaviest that it’s been… different coverages tonight, which was good,” Williams said after the game. “It allowed me to read the game and figure the game out. So, I’m definitely not going to take those opportunities for granted.”

Williams struggled early, scoring just four points in the first half and failing to convert a single field goal. He finished the game with 19 points, six assists, and five rebounds, shooting 1-for-6 from the floor and 2-for-6 from the free-throw line. Despite the offensive challenges, Williams viewed the experience as a valuable learning opportunity.

“Just trying to find my teammates. A lot of it was, I wouldn’t say new, just more of it,” Williams added. “Obviously, not having Shai out there, they kind of figured they were going to throw a lot of stuff like that out there. Just trying to learn and understand the coverages where I need to throw the ball and how I can still kind of pick my spots and be aggressive.”

The Mavericks, who eliminated the Thunder in last year’s Western Conference semifinals, presented a formidable challenge. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault praised his team’s resilience despite the loss. “After what was a rough second quarter, or end of the second quarter, I thought we played a pretty good game outside of that six-minute stretch where they really opened the game up,” Daigneault said. “We came out of halftime, made that a game, and got it within striking distance very quickly.”

The Thunder will look to bounce back when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.