Alexander's 45 points against the Indiana Pacers boosted his MVP case. The Oklahoma City Thunder had no business collecting a 120-114 win after a subpar for three quarters. The fourth-quarter takeover,

Thunder forward Jalen Williams will not return to Wednesday's game against the Warriors after suffering a right eye injury in the second quarter.

So Williams’ 33 points on 12-of-25 shooting mattered, more specifically his fourth-quarter rampage. But his effort, uncommon for a young player fresh off the unrecognizable performance he’d had in Orlando, pushed OKC over the top.

Williams is both a fan favorite and a locker room favorite. His return provided a nice morale boost for OKC. Let's look at what Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams had to say about it:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has firmly established himself as an MVP candidate, but whether he has a true co-star remains unclear. Jalen Williams has shown brilliant flashes but fell short in critical moments last season, averaging 17 points on only 50.8% true shooting in Oklahoma City’s second-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Jalen Williams was recently regarded as the Oklahoma City Thunder's best young up-and-comer, according to ESPN insiders.