Thunder Beat Clippers 108-101 but Lose Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace to Surgeries

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams, 25, will have surgery for a dislocated left ankle and fractured fibula suffered late in a 108-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night, general manager Sam Presti announced Monday. Williams went down on a drive to the basket with 1:14 left, his left leg gave way as he landed, and he left the court on a stretcher. Guard Cason Wallace, who left in the first quarter with shoulder soreness, has a torn left labrum and also needs surgery. ESPN reported both will miss most of the regular season and possibly all of it, and Presti gave no return timetable. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points as Oklahoma City went 3-0, and forward Jaylin Williams also left with a sore right wrist. Williams had averaged 13.7 points in three games and missed 49 games last season. The Thunder lost to the Spurs in last season's Western Conference finals.

The New York Post and Fox News lead with the diagnosis and Presti's Monday announcement. Both use words like "devastating" and "gruesome," and the Post quotes Presti calling Williams an elite competitor. Fox describes the awkward landing and the position of his foot, and the Post adds Williams's stats and Wallace's All-Defensive Second Team honor. The Guardian leads with the win and Gilgeous-Alexander's 34 points, then covers the injury through his tearful remarks and coach Mark Daigneault's "We're not doing great." It was written before the diagnosis and says the team would get an update Monday. Both sides cover Wallace's absence, but only the Guardian mentions Jaylin Williams. ESPN and CBS Sports take a separate angle, asking whether the Thunder can trade for replacements. CBS notes they still have the MVP and depth.