Though it’s tough to see any team in the NBA rooting for injuries to their rivals, the San Antonio Spurs are the unexpected beneficiaries of Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams going down with a gruesome leg injury on Sunday night, as the Finals runners-up from last year now have the best odds to win the championship this season.
San Antonio was previously sitting right behind the Thunder for the top title odds in the league, but after the Williams injury, the Spurs now lead the race, according to most major sportsbooks and prediction markets.
Though Oklahoma City had a strong regular season last year playing without Williams for a large majority of that time, the Spurs have jumped past their rival to both win the Western Conference and the NBA Finals in 2026-27.
Spurs Title Odds Take Surprise Shift After Jalen Williams Injury
According to both Kalshi and Polymarket, the Spurs have roughly a 22% chance to win the championship this season, a slight jump from the 19-20% odds they held before the Thunder saw the Williams injury.
The major sportsbooks tell a similar story, as the Spurs are now tied with the Thunder at +295 title odds on DraftKings, and slight favorites on FanDuel, with San Antonio holding +300 odds compared to OKC’s +340.
The Spurs are also now favored to win the Western Conference Finals to advance to the title series, as Polymarket gives them roughly a 34% chance to win, over the Thunder and other contenders like the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Lakers.
But in what be surprising to many, is that the Thunder’s title odds didn’t drop as much as some might expect, considering the team just lost arguably its second-best player.
As mentioned, Oklahoma City had a strong regular season playing mostly without Williams last year, and though he’s now out for the rest of the season this time around, the odds only dropped a few percentage points, down anywhere from 25% to 18% on the top prediction markets.
The Thunder are still one of the best and deepest teams in the NBA, meaning that while the Williams injury will undoubtedly leave a huge impact on the roster, there are other players to pick up the slack.
Still, with Williams now out for Oklahoma City, the Spurs are the unexpected winners of the gruesome injury, now holding the best title odds in the NBA with a strong core of their own led by superstar Victor Wembanyama.
What Happened To Jalen Williams? How Does That Impact The Spurs?
Williams went down in the fourth quarter of the Thunder’s Sunday night win over the Los Angeles Clippers and landed on his own leg, causing both his knee and ankle to twist in the wrong direction.
John Hollinger of The Athletic gave a description of what happened, in what is one of the worst injuries in recent NBA memory.
“With 1:44 left in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s game against the LA Clippers, Thunder All-Star forward Jalen Williams flew to the rim for a finish against the challenge of high-flying defensive specialist Derrick Jones Jr., and the two collided while a trailing Kris Dunn met Williams from behind. The force knocked Williams backward and off balance under the basket, with his left leg caught beneath him,” he wrote.
“When he untangled it, his ankle was bent at a gruesome angle, and nearby players almost immediately reacted in shock and horror.”
There is still no official update on Williams’ injury, but he is expected to at least miss the rest of the season.
As it relates to the Spurs, the horrific injury might have an impact on the team, at least as it relates to the matchup between the two sides going forward.
As Williams missed a ton of time last year with several different injuries, San Antonio had a record of 3-1 against the Thunder when he played, and 1-0 when he was out during the regular season.
The Spurs also went 2-1 against Oklahoma City when Williams was available during the Western Conference Finals last season, but were 2-2 in the games he missed.
With both teams looking a bit different from last year, it’s tough to tell how the Williams injury will impact the Spurs and Thunder games this season. While Oklahoma City will surely miss the star wing, his not playing doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be counted out when facing their rival, but that remains to be determined this season.
Regardless, with Williams now out, the Spurs’ title odds have taken a jump as the team is still going after the first of what they hope to be many championships with Wembanyama leading the charge.
Spurs Title Odds Take Surprise Shift After Jalen Williams Injury Update