After Dereck Lively II created an and-one opportunity on a dunk, Kenrich Williams had an issue with the celebration as the rookie’s legs hit the veteran wing.
The kerfuffle led to double technical fouls for Williams and P.J. Washington, who came over to defend his rookie teammate.
That’s exactly what the Oklahoma City Thunder needed.
Through four games this series, the Dallas Mavericks have done an excellent job at bogging down OKC’s offense, resulting in low-scoring, close affairs that bring out the physicality on both sides.
After sitting out OKC’s playoff run until that point, Williams received his first real taste of postseason basketball in the Thunder’s 100-96 Game 4 win over the Mavericks.
In eight minutes, Williams had two rebounds and one assist. More importantly, though, he set the tone and gave the Thunder an edge by refusing to let the Mavericks punk him around.
The usual polite and soft-spoken Williams turns into an intense competitor during games. That type of nasty attitude is what the Thunder needed to jumpstart a comeback attempt after falling to a 14-point hole early on in Game 4.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault revealed the same sentiment after OKC’s close Game 4 win.
“I was hoping to see exactly what I saw — great energy,” Daigneault said about Williams. That game was a fight, a brawl. And he’s a brawler. He elevated the level of physicality.”
With Gordon Hayward out of the rotation, his playing time is up for grabs. Williams has seldom been used in the playoffs, but he’s certainly an option to receive the backup wing minutes for the rest of the Thunder’s Round 2 series against the Mavericks.
