Deron Williams made a huge difference for the Dallas Mavericks when they stole Game 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2016 playoffs. He scored 13 points in 26 minutes and had five assists. Williams left that game in the third quarter and sat out for Game 3 with a sports hernia and an abdominal strain.
Williams started in Game 4 for the Mavs, but left the game with 10:30 remaining. Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle doesn’t expect to have one of his several point guards for the rest of the playoffs, as he told reporters after his team’s 119-108 loss in Game 4, putting Dallas at a 3-1 deficit against Oklahoma City.
Via ESPN’s Tim McMahon:
Rick Carlisle on Deron Williams: “I think he’s done for the year. That’s what I think. I don’t expect him to play in Game 5.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 24, 2016
As noted, Williams is one of Rick Carlisle’s four point guards in rotation along with J.J. Barea, Raymond Felton, and Devin Harris. The Mavs operate by committee, and especially against a team like Oklahoma City, they need all of their parts to compete.
Williams being done for the year means for the rest of these playoffs, which for the Mavs could come to an end in Game 5 on Monday in Oklahoma City.
