OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thunder guard/forward Jalen Williams will sit out against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night with a nagging right hamstring injury, and he could be out longer.
The team plans to re-evaluate Williams after the NBA All-Star break, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Thursday. The game against Milwaukee is Oklahoma City’s last before All-Star Weekend.
Last season, Williams was an All-Star, a third-team All-NBA selection and a second-team All-Defense pick who helped Oklahoma City win the championship. He missed the first month of this season while recovering from a wrist injury he suffered late last season and played through during the playoffs.
It is Williams’ second time being sidelined with the hamstring injury over the past month. He first hurt it during the Thunder's Jan. 17 game against the Heat, clutching his leg after attempting to grab an awkward pass in the second quarter. He later was ruled out and missed the next 10 games.
He looked like the star he was last season when he returned to game action on Monday night, helping the Thunder to a 119-110 win against the Lakers with a 23-point performance.
“Against L.A., he was obviously a little rusty in the first half, but he tried to play with tremendous force in that game," Daigneault said. "And then as the game wore on, especially in his last stint against the Lakers, he was really on the gas. Really closed that game for us offensively.”
He followed that with a season-high 28 points on 11-for-12 shooting in a 136-109 win against the Suns on Wednesday.
“He obviously had a loud statistical night and great shot making,” Daigneault said. “Got himself to the line a little bit, found shooters, found rollers.”
The Thunder are also without reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander due to an abdominal strain. He also will be reevaluated after the All-Star break.
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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams drives between Phoenix Suns guard Jordan Goodwin (23) and Amir Coffey during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s ruling-party-controlled parliament on Thursday debated a measure that could free hundreds of opposition members, activists and human rights defenders who have been detained for months or years for political reasons.
The debate in itself was a stark turn for Venezuela, where authorities have for decades denied the country has any political prisoners. Although lawmakers approved portions of the measure, they ultimately voted to suspend the session to resolve some sticking points, including whether people who left the country to avoid detention can be granted amnesty.
The debate is expected to resume next week.
Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez proposed the bill weeks after the U.S. military captured then-President Nicolás Maduro in a stunning raid Jan. 3 in the country’s capital, Caracas.
The bill's latest draft defines its purpose as "granting a general and full amnesty for crimes or offenses committed” during specific periods since 1999 that were marked by politically-driven conflicts in Venezuela, including the “acts of politically motivated violence” in the context of the 2024 presidential election.
Ruling party loyalists declared Maduro the winner of that election despite ample credible evidence to the contrary. That led to protests and the arrest of more than 2,000 people.
General amnesty has long been a central demand of Venezuela's opposition and human rights organizations, but they have viewed the proposal with cautious optimism and raised several concerns about how it will be implemented and who will be eligible for release.
Venezuela-based prisoners’ rights group Foro Penal estimates more than 600 people are in custody for political reasons.
In the days after Maduro's capture, Rodríguez's government announced it would release a significant number of prisoners. But relatives and human rights watchdogs have criticized the slow pace of releases. Foro Penal has tallied 431.
Families hoping for the release of their loves ones have spent days outside detention facilities. On Sunday, at least 30 people were freed, including several people affiliated with the political movement of Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado.
Opposition leader and Machado ally Juan Pablo Guanipa was among those released. But he was rearrested less than 12 hours later, accused of violating the conditions of his release. Authorities placed him on house arrest and never explained his alleged violation. The only two restrictions listed in his release order were monthly check-ins with a court and no travel outside Venezuela.
On Thursday, roughly 2,000 people marched on the campus of the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas to demand the release of all prisoners detained for political reasons.
In announcing the amnesty bill last month, Rodríguez told a gathering of justices, magistrates, ministers, military brass and other government leaders she hoped the law could help “heal the wounds left by the political confrontation fueled by violence and extremism.”
“May it serve to redirect justice in our country, and may it serve to redirect coexistence among Venezuelans," she said at the time, adding that people convicted of murder, drug trafficking, corruption or human rights violations will not qualify for release.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez speaks with lawmakers during debate on an amnesty bill in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Sandra Rosales, whose husband is detained at a different facility, cries outside the Zona 7 detention center of the Bolivarian National Police, after listening to lawmakers debate an amnesty bill at the National Assembly, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Congressperson Nicolas Maduro Guerra, the son of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, speaks during debate on an amnesty bill at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Lawmakers vote on an amnesty bill at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez speaks with lawmakers during debate on an amnesty bill in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Sandra Rosales, whose husband is detained at a different facility, cries outside the Zona 7 detention center of the Bolivarian National Police, after listening to lawmakers debate an amnesty bill at the National Assembly, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Congressperson Nicolas Maduro Guerra, the son of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, speaks during debate on an amnesty bill at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Government supporters march with signs calling for the return of former President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores as they mark National Youth Day in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
People attend a student-led march on National Youth Day to call for the release of detainees, considered to be political prisoners by their relatives and human rights groups, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Demonstrators hold a Venezuelan and U.S. national flags during a student-led march calling for the release of people considered political prisoners on National Youth Day, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Lawmakers vote on an amnesty bill at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez smiles after bidding farewell to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright following their meeting at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
A demonstrator holds a Venezuelan flag during a student-led march calling for the release of people whose relatives and human rights groups consider political prisoners on National Youth Day in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.(AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
People who consider their detained family members to be political prisoners protest for their releases outside the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Students march on National Youth Day, calling for the release of people considered political prisoners, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
