The Oklahoma City Thunder secured their 11th straight victory after defeating the Phoenix Suns 123-119 in an NBA Cup match in Oklahoma on Saturday, as Jalen Williams made his season debut after recovering from injury.
"The goal tonight was to find my rhythm, but it's an adjustment. Game 7 was about five or six months ago. A lot of it is about rhythm, trying not to do too much, just finding a position where I was comfortable five months ago," Williams said, as quoted by the NBA's official website, regarding rhythm, which he said was the biggest challenge after being out for nearly six months.
Williams played 29 minutes and contributed 11 points and eight assists, despite shooting just 3-of-12 from the field. The win made the Thunder just the fifth team in NBA history to start a season with a 19-1 record (19 wins, 1 loss) and finish the Western Conference Group A stage of the NBA Cup undefeated (4-0).
Williams is recovering from surgery to repair a ligament in his right wrist in July and a subsequent procedure to remove an irritating screw. However, he doesn't believe his defense is a problem.
"Defense comes easy to me, especially when you've been without your right hand for five months. I've always been able to play hard defensively and find solutions from there," he said.
