Williams is the poster child of OKC's free-throw woes. He finished with 19 points but only went 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. After the win, the 23-year-old paused before he answered a question about his struggles in that area for comedic timing.

All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 36 points led the Thunder in Friday's win. He finished making 7-for-8 free throws, while Thunder forward Jalen Williams was 1-for-2 from the free-throw line. Williams shoots free throws at a 79.8% clip and averages 3.1 attempts per game.

The Thunder hope starting Jalen Williams at center will be sustainable while their rotation bigs mend from injuries.

The Oklahoma City Thunder survived a clutch-time thriller, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 101-93 in their third Emirates NBA Cup group stage game. Shai Gilgeous