OKC Thunder Complete 23-Point Comeback to Beat Raptors
The Oklahoma City Thunder trailed big in the second half, but it was not enough to keep them from winning.
The Thunder beat the Toronto Raptors 135-127 in Paycom Center on Sunday for their third straight win. After trailing by as much as 23, the Thunder came back and made plays down the stretch to close it out.
The Thunder took control in the second overtime and jumped out to a seven-point lead. The Raptors cut it to three before Josh Giddey’s and-one sealed the game and capped off his season-high 24-point performance.
The Raptors led for most of the first overtime until Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nailed a game-tying 3-pointer in the final minute. The Thunder’s star blocked Gary Trent Jr.’s potential game-winner at the buzzer a few possessions later to force a second overtime.
After Gilgeous-Alexander missed a mid-range jumper near the end of regulation and RJ Barrett got the rebound, Josh Giddey knocked the ball loose, causing Barrett to go out of bounds. Trailing by two with 5.8 seconds left, Giddey found Aaron Wiggins open in the paint for a game-tying layup.
With 7:57 left in the fourth quarter, Vasilije Micic found Lu Dort inside for the Thunder’s first lead since early in the first quarter. The Raptors did not let the Thunder gain any separation and tied the game multiple times before retaking the lead.
Gilgeous-Alexander found Chet Holmgren for a dunk early in the fourth quarter to bring Oklahoma City within three and force a Toronto timeout. A couple of minutes later, Dort found Josh Giddey on a fast break for a push layup to tie the game.
With a lackluster effort in the first few minutes of the third quarter, the Thunder’s deficit ballooned to 23. But the Thunder responded with a 19-2 run to cut the Raptors’ lead to six.
During that stretch, Wiggins made three 3-pointers, including one that brought the margin back to single digits.
Jakob Poeltl’s tip-in put Toronto up by 15 midway through the second quarter. It was Oklahoma City’s largest deficit and forced Mark Daigneault into calling a timeout.
The Thunder’s performance the rest of the half did not improve as the Raptors’ lead reached as much as 17 and took a 63-47 lead into halftime after Gary Trent Jr. nailed a 3-pointer off an offensive rebound.
Cason Wallace’s eight-point performance was enough to make him the Thunder’s leading scorer in the first half. Among other offensive issues, the Thunder attempted just two free throws and had four more turnovers than the Raptors.
The Thunder’s offense struggled in the first quarter, scoring 23 points and shooting only 43% from the floor. Entering the game in the bottom half of the league in defensive rating and giving up 135 points in their last game, the Raptors had a much-needed start on that end.
Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
