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Thunder Rally Past Clippers 108-101 to Reach 3-0, but Jalen Williams Leaves on Stretcher
Thunder Overturn Halftime Deficit to Beat Clippers 108-101 and Reach 3-0

Oklahoma City came back from a halftime deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 108-101 on Sunday and stay unbeaten. The win was overshadowed by a lower-left-leg injury to Jalen Williams and two other Thunder players leaving hurt.

Oklahoma City stayed perfect on Sunday, but its 108-101 home win over the Los Angeles Clippers came with a heavy injury toll. Jalen Williams went down late in the game. Play stopped for about five minutes before he was carried off.

Referees called Kris Dunn for a flagrant 1 foul on the play. Gilgeous-Alexander stepped to the line for the two free throws in Williams’ place. The Thunder offered no immediate diagnosis.

The injury hits a player with a recent history of time on the sidelines. Williams missed 49 games last season, mostly because of hamstring problems and recovery from major surgery on his right wrist.

Williams was not the only casualty. Guard Cason Wallace left with left shoulder soreness, and forward Jaylin Williams exited with right wrist soreness, ESPN reported. Neither came back after the opening quarter.

A 34-point third quarter flipped the game

Oklahoma City led 23-20 after one quarter. The Clippers then won the second 26-20 to take the lead into the break. The Thunder answered with a 34-30 third quarter and entered the fourth ahead 77-76.

The final period went 31-25 to Oklahoma City. Los Angeles still made it tense. A Derrick Jones Jr. 3-pointer with three minutes left cut the gap to 97-96. The Clippers got no closer.

Gilgeous-Alexander carried the scoring load with 34 points. That marked a rebound from the 96-84 win over Denver, when his 17 points ended his NBA-record streak of 20-point games.

Mitchell gave the Thunder a lift off the bench. He made 8 of his 14 shots and added six rebounds, four assists and three steals in 27 minutes. Isaiah Hartenstein posted 12 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double.

Depleted Clippers spread the scoring but fell short

The Clippers arrived without several rotation pieces. Bradley Beal (knee), Brandon Ingram (heel), Max Strus (foot) and Yanic Konan Niederhauser (foot) were all listed as out.

Darius Garland led Los Angeles with 16 points. Dunn and Brook Lopez added 15 apiece. The balance kept the Clippers within reach until the final minutes, but it was not enough to close out.

The defeat followed a 117-125 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers on 24 October. That leaves Los Angeles with back-to-back losses. The Clippers face the Lakers again in their next game.

For Oklahoma City, the 3-0 start sits alongside a growing list of health questions. The Thunder will need to sort out their rotation quickly, with the Phoenix Suns next on the schedule. Coach Mark Daigneault said the team would get an update on Williams on Monday morning.

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