How Jalen Williams played in his first game back from injury in OKC Thunder’s win over Phoenix

Jalen Williams made his much-anticipated return in a way that epitomizes his game — a stellar defensive play that led to an emphatic dunk.

Williams, an Oklahoma City Thunder forward, made his first appearance in a game this season Friday in OKC’s 123-119 win over the Phoenix Suns inside the Paycom Center.

Williams missed the first 19 games of the season recovering from a wrist injury he suffered during last season’s NBA championship run. He had it surgically repaired after the playoff run and is finally back playing for the Thunder, which has been alright without him, starting the season 18-1 without him.

“He played the right way and he competed,” said OKC coach Mark Daigneault. “…Getting him back integrated and getting him back to his normal spots was a priority, but without disrupting the team. I think he did a good job approaching the game and I thought the team did a good job getting him back… When he starts heating up like that with the length and the tenacity, that’s one of the most fun things about him as a player.

“Those are the things you miss when he’s not there.”

Williams went scoreless in the first quarter of the game, but had his welcome-back moment in the second quarter.

Williams picked Suns’ Collin Gillespie’s pocket, pushing the steal to Thunder’s Kenrich Williams, who then pushed the ball back to Jalen Williams for the slam. His first two points of the season.

Williams finished the game with 11 points, eight assists and two steals in 29 minutes in the win. The production is slightly down from his averages last season, but that’s expected when his first game is the 20th game of the season.

He scored those points on 3-12 from the field, which is not an efficient night, but he had help from the rest of the team that’s been holding down the fort while he worked his way back.

Reigning association MVP guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points while forward Chet Holmgren poured in 23 points. The team also shot 15-32 from 3-point range, one of its best shooting games of the season.

Williams will take some time to get back to his form slowly through more time back on the court, but he feels his defense is like it was when he got the injury.

“Defense is very easy compared to offense, especially when you lose your right hand for five months,” Williams said. “I can always play hard defensively and figure it out from there… (offense) is going to take some time. I haven’t played in forever and there’s just a lot of behind the scenes with what was actually going on with my hand. I mean, I had two hand surgeries. I’m still trying to figure my way out through my jumpshot and my dribbling. That’s just something that’s going to have to progress throughout the game.”

With the win the Thunder are 4-0 in the NBA Cup Group A Play stage, winning the group and clinching a spot in the knockout stage later in December.

The Thunder are 19-1 this season, which is tied for the second-best record through the first 20 games in NBA history. Tied with three other teams and only behind the 2015-16 Warriors that started 24-0.

Here’s the list of best records through 20 games in NBA history, per www.ChampsorChumps.us:

No. 1: 20-0 - Golden State Warriors, 2015-16

T-No. 2: 19-1 - New York Knicks, 1969-70

T-No. 2: 19-1 - Portland Trail Blazers, 1990-91

T-No. 2: 19-1 - Houston Rockets, 1993-94

T-No. 2: 19-1 - Oklahoma City Thunder, 2025-26

It’s obviously the best start of any season in Oklahoma City since the franchise moved here in 2008, but the Thunder knows it needs to stay focused and not get too blinded into the optics of how historic the start of this season is — not only for the franchise, but also the NBA.

“Good job to the team. One step closer to winning the in-season tournament,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “One step in the right direction. All those things are cool, but, of course I sound like a broken record, just try and focus on getting better and winning basketball games and if we do so, all the fun things will take care of itself.”