Pro Hog Update: Two former Razorbacks take on Spurs in Western Conference Finals
Another round of the NBA Playoffs has come and gone, and two of the remaining four former Razorbacks were eliminated by the other two in the Western Conference.
Adou Thiero and Nick Smith Jr. played sparingly for the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, as has been the case through the entire playoffs, swept them with ease.
Fort Smith natives Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Joe are moving on with the Oklahoma City Thunder and have their eyes set on the Western Conference crown. To earn that, they’ll need to push through the San Antonio Spurs.
The Thunder are the reigning NBA Champions, so Williams and Joe will be looking to repeat should they get past the Spurs. Their teammate and former John Calipari guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, was named the NBA MVP for the second-straight year on Sunday afternoon. He averaged 31.1 points per game on 55.3% shooting and averaged 4.3 rebounds and 6.6 assists to go along with the scoring.
Williams has seen his usage take a dip in the playoffs, as he did last season as well, and has averaged 3.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per game. His highest-scoring outing against the Lakers was in Game 2, when he scored seven points and had two boards plus an assist in 15 minutes.
Throughout the eight postseason games he’s played, Williams has scored a total of 29 points, 25 rebounds, 11 assists, three blocks and six steals.
Joe has played less minutes on average than Williams has, but scored at a higher clip and averaged 6.6 points through the eight postseason games. He had 12 against the Lakers in Game 3 to go along with five rebounds and two assists and a steal.
Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals will be on Monday, with a 7:30 p.m. CT tip in Oklahoma City. The game will air on NBC and stream on Peacock.
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