Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals delivered more than overtime drama — it delivered injury scares to both teams’ key players. It was made clear in their double-overtime Game 1 thriller: There’s not much that separates the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. That’s what you expect with the top two seeds from the West grappling to get through to the finals. However, at the end of that pulsating game, most players were exhausted. The Spurs’ Stephon Castle called it ‘the hardest game of his life’. As a result, players from both teams might have sustained some damage during their efforts in the series opener.

The Thunder’s Jalen Williams appeared to re-aggravate his left hamstring strain tonight in Game 2. Williams missed the entire second-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers due to the same ailment. The dynamic Thunder forward only played seven minutes before hobbling to the locker room, gripping his left hamstring with a towel. J-Dub never returned to the bench, playing just seven minutes and tallying 4 points and 2 steals in the second game of the WCF. There didn’t seem to be a specific moments Williams hurt his hamstring. One of his last actions was finishing a lob, suggesting there wasn’t any pre-existing discomfort.

The image carries an eerie echo of Chris Paul’s fate in the 2018 WCF, when the Houston Rockets point guard pulled his right hamstring late in Game 5 with his team holding a 3-2 series lead, and was ruled out for both Games 6 and 7, costing Houston what many believed was their best chance at a title.

It’s a grave loss for the Thunder. However, over in San Antonio, things just took a turn for the worse. One of the stars from Game 1 and these playoffs, Dylan Harper, had an awkward landing on his right leg twice in quick succession. He first injured his hamstring while challenging Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the rim. The Spurs guard felt something on that very play, but continued playing. Right after, Harper skied for a rebound against Chet Holmgren and appeared to land, trying to avoid putting any weight on his right leg. In his case, the Spurs rookie had his leg taped up beforehand. Suggesting some pre-existing concern about the limb. However, due to De’Aaron Fox still recovering from an ankle sprain, Harper had to play through the pain.

The situation mirrors what Golden State faced in the 2019 WCF, when Andre Iguodala exited Game 3 against Portland with left calf tightness, was held out of Game 4, and the Warriors were forced to navigate a series short-handed, a recurring theme in conference finals that has shaped outcomes time and again.

The All-Rookie First Team guard seemed destined to have another terrific performance before his exit. Dylan Harper compiled 12 points and 3 assists while shooting 50% from the field. He was one of only three Spurs players to record a positive point differential.

The crazy part? The 20-year-old attempted to rush back into the game, even reaching the Spurs bench. But the team’s medical staff escorted him back – a decision that signals genuine concern, given the team’s willingness to hold a key player in a tied double-overtime game. It could be a precaution to thoroughly assess the injury.

Nonetheless, with this set of injuries, the series will surely change. Teams will have to throw their current game plans out of the window if these turn out to be long-term ailments.

Coaches offer updates on injuries

Right now, there’s no unrest in either camp regarding the injuries. There’s largely not enough evidence or information around the ailments yet. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault briefly touched on Williams’ injury.

Williams has a documented history with this specific hamstring — he strained it in Game 2 of the first round, missed six games, and then played close to 40 minutes on his return in Game 1. Daigneault understands there was a problem, but didn’t want to comment without a proper understanding of the injuries.

“He’s going to get checked out. I don’t deal in hypotheticals, especially when doctors are involved. I just let them tell us what’s going on. So, he’ll get checked out in the morning. We’ll see where he’s at,” the Thunder head coach told reporters.

The best-case scenario would be Williams feeling temporary discomfort after going through a knarly double-overtime series opener. If it’s something bigger, the Thunder star may miss some more time to address the root cause of recurrence.

Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson was sailing in the same boat. “I do not have an update. Just know he went out when he took an awkward landing. I don’t know if he fell, but that awkward landing, and I just heard he wasn’t coming back,” Johnson shared.

Dylan Harper’s case could be far more serious in comparison. He was willing to return, even jogging out of the locker room. However, with the Spurs medical staff holding him out in such a crucial game, it suggests there is either significant damage or a high risk of the rookie suffering a more serious injury.

Either way, life became really difficult for Johnson once Harper went out. The Spurs couldn’t contain their turnovers, and he relates it directly to the 20-year-old’s injury.

“This team is as good as anybody at turning you over. So, you’re down some of your primary creators and initiators, it causes a little bit of extra strain, whether that’s who to play, what to play, what to run, etc. And we’ll just have to be sharper in that area because it’s tough, fully loaded, against these guys,” Mitch Johnson added.

There’ll be more updates tomorrow, by which time both teams will have some results to determine the extent of their respective injuries. Hopefully, neither case is serious. This WCF clash feels like an NBA Finals, and no one wants injuries to affect the outcome of this enthralling series.