The OKC Thunder welcomed Jalen Williams back into the lineup following a three-week, injury-induced hiatus.
Needless to say, his return came just in the nick of time, as it reminded Oklahoma City of just how badly they've needed a cold-blooded closer during their recent slump.
Since his initial shelving back in mid-January, the Thunder have gone a middling 5-5, while dropping their previous two contests heading into Monday's matchup against the Lakers with superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now sidelined with an abdominal strain.
Even during their losing streak, Mark Daigneault's squad proved capable of holding its own against some of the game's fiercest contenders.
In fact, with just eight players available in their February 4 loss to the second-seeded Spurs, OKC kept it to just a two-possession game late in the final period.
Sadly, with all three of their established All-Stars sidelined, the Thunder simply had no one capable of stepping up down the stretch to help them pull ahead for a hard-fought victory. The same could also be said of their face-off against the Rockets just three days later, when, after tying things up in the fourth at 91-91, they were unable to take control, what with their lack of clutch-time talents.
Monday's bout against Los Angeles proved to be a completely different story, however, and J-Dub's return to the rotation was the primary reason why.
Jalen Williams' clutch scoring paved way to Thunder win over Lakers
Despite a rocky start to his reinstatement game, shooting just 27.3 percent from the floor and totaling a mere 13 points through the first three periods of play, with the game on the line down the stretch, Williams found a way to pull through.
With the Thunder down by one (94-93) heading into the fourth quarter, despite being on a clear minutes restriction, the 2025 All-Star still put the Thunder on his back.
As soon as he entered with 5:48 left in regulation, Williams was in full-on attack mode, as he was crashing the glass for rebound opportunities, playing strong defense to hold off LeBron James and the Lakers, and, most importantly, taking and making shots.
In less than six minutes played, the forward recorded 10 of his 23 total points, six of which came in the final minute while the game was still very much up for grabs.
From his stop-on-a-dime jumper at the 52-second mark that gave the Thunder a five-point cushion to his four game-sealing free throws in the final 36 seconds to give them the 119-110 win, when needed most, Williams proved to be absolutely invaluable to the Thunder against the fifth-seeded Lakers.
Even at sub-full strength, this exhilarating, down-to-the-wire triumph reminded OKC fans of just how different this team is when they have their All-NBA cornerstone in the fold.