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Jalen Williams becomes 11th rookie in NBA history to log 32/5/5/2/2

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Updated06 Mar 2023

Thunder Jalen Williams becomes 11th rookie in NBA history to log 32/5/5/2/2

Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder became only the 11th rookie in NBA history to record 32 points, five rebounds, five assists, and a pair of steals and blocks in a single game.

In Sunday night’s 129-119 win over the Utah Jazz, the guard scored a career-high 32 points in 34 minutes of action. The Santa Clara product finished 12-of-15 (80%) shooting from the field and 4-of-5 (80%) outside the arc.

According to a couple of NBA betting sites, Jalen Williams and the Thunder have 25th-ranked odds to win the championship. Check out which sportsbooks are showing better playoff odds for the Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers.

“Down the stretch they were doubling Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] a lot,” said Jalen Williams. “I kind of happened to be there. Just getting more comfortable about where I’m at on the floor.

“All year, we’ve been talking about coming out fast. I thought we did a good job of that. Obviously, with Shai coming back, we were all playing in our normal spots, too, so there was a lot more comfortable feel.”

Thunder guard Jalen Williams becomes the 11th rookie in NBA history to record 32 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks in a single game

Williams leads all Western Conference rookies in points, assists, and steals. Through 60 starts of his rookie season, the 21-year-old is averaging 13.3 points, 4.2 boards, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 29.5 minutes per game.

Plus, Jalen Williams is shooting 52.1% from the floor, 34.9% beyond the arc, and 76.6% at the foul line. The 12th overall pick in last year’s draft has also made starts in 47 games so far this season.

“I just thought our guys started the game really well,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We were in our spots and making them earn everything. We made some shots early [and] they missed some, but we forced them to go to jump shots early.”

In December, Jalen Williams was named Rookie of the Month for November after averaging 10.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. He also shot 51.1% from the field and 82.1% at the free throw line. Williams’ previous season high was 27 points against the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 30.

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