After a shocking defeat against the bottom-dwelling Indiana Pacers, the Oklahoma City Thunder failed to pick themselves up on Monday, absorbing a 103-101 loss to the red-hot Toronto Raptors.
It was the late-game heroics of Scottie Barnes that sealed the deal for the Raptors, as he tipped a missed free throw to a teammate that eventually gave Toronto its fourth consecutive victory.
With the win, the Raptors now climbed to 10 games over .500, solidifying their hold on the third spot in the East.
Immanuel Quickley Adds Fuel to Red-Hot Raptors
Leading the Raptors’ offense was spitfire guard Immanuel Quickley, who continued his hot shooting streak with 23 points built on 6 threes, to go along with his 11 assists.
With the game on the line, Quickley went perfect on a trip to the free-throw line to cap off Toronto’s Western Conference road trip with the victory.
“I’m somebody that stays even-keeled throughout the whole thing,” Quickley said of his ice-cold heroics in the end. “I’m going to keep continuing to work, keep continuing to watch the film, taking care of my body, and trusting God.”
OKC’s Injury Woes Continue
This is only the third time this season that the Thunder have lost consecutive games, but their first time losing back-to-back at home. Their loss against the Raptors also ruled out the possibility of OKC tying the NBA wins record at 73.
To add salt to their wounds, the injury bug hasn’t been treating the Thunder well either, as they lost the services of Cason Wallace, who left the game against Toronto after experiencing left groin soreness.
The Thunder are already missing key starters Isaiah Hartenstein and Jalen Williams, but head coach Mark Daigneault still has his hopes high for the defending champs.
“It was unfortunate that we lost, but it doesn’t mean there wasn’t effort put forth and good performances by a lot of the guys,” Daigneault said. “It wasn’t our night, but we’ve got to hang in there.”
OKC has been 9-5 since the calendar turned to 2026. The defending champs were 28-5 at the end of December, which means they are in the midst of a trying stretch. Even so, they still hold the NBA’s best record at 37-10.
