Jan. 10, 2026, 11:01 a.m. CT
Parked at the corner, the ball eventually found its way into Kenrich Williams’ hands. After being doubled, Jalen Williams kicked it out to him from the corner spot. The 31-year-old calmly knocked down the outside jumper to put OKC ahead with a little over a minute left. A moment well earned, considering all of the small things he did for this win.
The Oklahoma City Thunder mounted a 21-point comeback in a 117-116 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The stunner fits the textbook definition of ‘highway robbery’ as the former looked lifeless through most of the night.
Williams finished with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting and eight rebounds. He shot 3-of-7 from 3 and went 2-of-3 on free throws. He also had two steals.
Usually at the end of the bench, Williams received plenty of minutes. You quickly remembered why he became a fan favorite. Before he checked in, the Thunder looked checked out. It felt like we were on the way to another disappointing loss amid this mediocre stretch. Instead, he was exactly the energy provider they needed to start this comeback win.
Williams played his role perfectly. He received plenty of easy looks around the rim on dump-off passes. He cashed in on his jumpers. Usually, you don’t see the Thunder rely on him as a scorer. But the circumstances called for it. He put up his first 20-point game since 2021 in response.
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Adding to OKC’s momentum, Williams scored nine points in the final frame. He hit on a couple of outside jumpers as they snowballed the Grizzlies. While the offense was a nice surprise, what he did on defense is what’s helped him carve out a lengthy NBA career.
“Just about trusting your work, having faith and having faith in God. Dub made a great pass. I was open. He drew two, and then just to shoot it with confidence,” Williams said on his go-ahead 3-pointer. “I believe every shot is going in, but man, that was a gutsy win.”
The Thunder eventually returned to their defensive identity. They played a crash-first style that had the Grizzlies shaken. Anytime the Memphis ball-handler took more than a couple of seconds to make a decision, Williams and others surrounded them. That type of endless energy has dulled over the last few weeks. This was a return to the norm for OKC.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault welcomed Williams’ contributions. He’s been a steady locker room presence over the years. Aside from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort, he’s been in OKC the longest.
“I’m so happy for him. He’s just such a huge part of our team. He’s got great soul. He’s got such respect in the locker room. He played 28 minutes tonight — had to be a season high for him,” Daigneault said about Williams. “Yet, he’s the same guy every day. He’s so invested in the team. He’s two feet in, and when his number gets called, he’s ready to compete.”
If you can play Williams some significant minutes, positive things mostly happen. There’s a reason why the advanced stats have loved him over the years. You saw why the 31-year-old is one of the longest tenured players on the Thunder. The game script flipped when he was on the floor.
“I think the way we found a way to win. I don’t think that was a pretty game at all. We got outrebounded, for sure. They hit a bunch of shots. I don’t think we hit that many shots early on, down 20,” Williams said. “Just finding ways like scrapping, no matter the situation or whatever was going on. We just took it one possession at a time and just a gutsy win and big shoutout to everybody who played tonight.”