THUNDER STAR SUFFERS HORROR INJURY AS SGA LEFT IN TEARS<\/p>\n
The Oklahoma City Thunder have continued their great start to the season, defeating the Los Angeles Clippers in a tight contest.<\/p>\n
But the victory was overshadowed by a horrific late-game injury to Jalen Williams, adding to an already tough night on the injury front.<\/p>\n
With 1:14 remaining in the final quarter, Williams drove to the basket before being met at the rim by Derrick Jones Jr.<\/p>\n
Williams landed awkwardly, with his leg appearing to get caught underneath his body.<\/p>\n
There were immediate concerns over a serious ankle injury, with medical staff covering his lower leg as a stretcher was called onto the court.<\/p>\n
Williams gave two thumbs up as he left the court, with the Thunder crowd giving him a standing ovation.<\/p>\n
![\"Jalen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/71619e6f3d2e699bc0b162bd55fb27c6.jpeg\")
Jalen Williams was stretchered off after suffering a horrific injury against the Clippers.Source: AP<\/p>\n
His Thunder teammates were left in shock following the injury, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander appearing to be in tears after the incident.<\/p>\n
Following the game, Gilgeous-Alexander spoke about Williams\u2019 injury and backed his teammate to return stronger.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, he\u2019s not gone forever. He\u2019ll be back better than ever. We know it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just gotta pull the fort down till he comes back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Back-to-back MVP Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 34 points, six rebounds and five assists, as the Thunder improved to 3-0 to start the season.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 27.7 points per game through the opening three games of the season.<\/p>\n
With the NBA introducing stricter officiating around offensive players using their non-dribbling arm to push off defenders, we\u2019ve also seen a lower than usual number of free-throw attempts from Gilgeous-Alexander.<\/p>\n
Last season, the MVP averaged 31.1 points per game, whilst getting to the free-throw line nine times per game on average.<\/p>\n
The stricter officiating could be playing a part in that drop, with Gilgeous-Alexander potentially finding it harder to dictate the positioning of defenders and create the contact that has helped him get to the line.<\/p>\n
This season, he\u2019s averaging just 4.7 free-throw attempts per game, although it\u2019s still early days.<\/p>\n
Against the Clippers, he also benefited from late fouls, with four of his attempts coming in the final two minutes as the clock ran down.<\/p>\n
And the injury concerns didn\u2019t stop with Jalen Williams, as Cason Wallace and Jaylin Williams were also unable to return to the contest after picking up injuries.<\/p>\n
Wallace was ruled out after sustaining a shoulder injury following a collision with Isaiah Jackson on a moving screen.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Williams was ruled out with wrist soreness and didn\u2019t return for the Thunder.<\/p>\n
The Clippers didn\u2019t go down wondering though, with Kris Dunn producing a monster poster dunk on Chet Holmgren, whilst finishing with 15 points, four rebounds and six assists.<\/p>\n
The Clippers have now fallen to 1-2 to start the season.<\/p>\n
LAKERS SUPERSTAR ERUPTS FOR 52 POINTS<\/p>\n
Luka Doncic has led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 132-123 victory over the Utah Jazz, dropping a casual 52 points in the process.<\/p>\n
The Lakers superstar finished the contest with 52 points, ten assists, eight rebounds and eight three-pointers in a dominant performance.<\/p>\n
Doncic had an incredible 39 points at three-quarter time before adding another 13 in the final quarter to help the Lakers breakthrough and secure the victory.<\/p>\n
It marked Doncic\u2019s tenth career 50-point game, moving him alongside Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the NBA\u2019s all-time list.<\/p>\n
Luka Doncic erupted for 52 points as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz.Source: AFP<\/p>\n
Wilt Chamberlain holds the record with an extraordinary 118 games of 50 points or more, followed by Michael Jordan with 31.<\/p>\n
Doncic also joined some elite company, becoming one of just six players in Lakers history to record three or more 50-point games.<\/p>\n
That list includes Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, LeBron James, George Mikan and Jerry West.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, he also overtook LeBron James for the most 40-point performances in a regular season game as a Laker, with his tally now sitting at 19, surpassing James\u2019 18.<\/p>\n
JJ Redick went full 21st century with his comments postgame, summing up Doncic\u2019s incredible performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he\u2019s in the flow state, he gets into showman mode,\u201d Redick said.<\/p>\n
When asked about the \u2018showman mode\u2019 Redick was referring to, Doncic spoke about how much he enjoys putting on a show.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means everything to me,\u201d Doncic said postgame.<\/p>\n
Doncic\u2019s running mate Austin Reaves was also impressive in the contest, finishing with 29 points, four assists and one rebound.<\/p>\n
However, Reaves drew some criticism from the Jazz broadcasting team for his antics following foul calls in the third quarter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know why Austin Reaves is complaining after every call, every foul. That is definitely a foul,\u201d the Jazz commentators said.<\/p>\n
Speaking postgame, Reaves credited the team\u2019s \u2018no egos\u2019 mentality as a major reason for their strong start to the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the beautiful thing about our team is there\u2019s no egos; there\u2019s no anything, you just want to win basketball games,\u201d Reaves said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever that happens is the main thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aussie Matisse Thybulle finished with 11 points, one rebound and one assist, knocking down three of his seven attempts from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n
For the Jazz, Lauri Markkanen finished with 28 points and six rebounds, while Keyonte George flirted with a triple-double with 24 points, ten assists and nine rebounds.<\/p>\n
Ace Bailey also impressed, finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds.<\/p>\n
The Lakers have now started their new era with a perfect 3-0 record, as Doncic pushes for his first NBA MVP trophy.<\/p>\n
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