Thunder Escape Raptors with 110-109 Victory, Take Win off Waived Buzzer-Beater
With the Oklahoma City Thunder fresh off of snapping an eight-game losing streak, the Thunder rallied out a 110-109 victory against the Toronto Raptors.
The Thunder elevated to an 8-16 record following the victory, gutting out their first winning streak in 12 games.
Wednesday’s contest initially sighted a six-minute back-and-forth to the tune of five lead changes and four ties, but a Raptors 8-0 run pushed themselves up front 36-26 through one frame.
Following a similar back-and-forth exchange in the second period, the Raptors mounted yet another 8-0 hot streak to place a double-digit cushion – holding on for a 64-54 lead by the halftime horn.
The 8-0 train rolled into the second half of play, but this time, they sped onto the Thunder’s tracks, picking up more steam than usual. Oklahoma City’s mid-quarter run saw the Bricktown boys churn out 13-consecutive points to recapture the lead, snowballing their earnings to a 25-3 closing run en route to a 87-76 lead.
In all, the Thunder outscored the Raptors 33-12 in the frame.
The Raptors attempted to claw out a fourth-quarter comeback, and with a mid-quarter 11-3 stint, they were back in business. Oklahoma City’s play stagnated in the clutch, watching as a Fred VanVleet three-pointer evened the game at 105 apiece inside the final minute.
In the closing segments, Toronto pushed their first lead of the frame with a pair of VanVleet foul shots, and following two tying Shai Gilgeous-Alexander free throws on the other end – Justin Champagne pushed the Raptors back up with a driving layup. On the other end a slashing SGA found an open Mike Muscala at the top-of-the-key – money.
In the final possession, VanVleet lofted a floater nowhere close to the basket, however, a Champagnie tip-in at the buzzer put Toronto on the high side 111-110. Upon review, officials decided Champagnie’s tip-in came past the final horn – Oklahoma City wins.
OKC’s colossal third-quarter played the leading role in their 14-point swing, however, their four quarters of shooting dominance became the primary talking point. The Thunder coated Wednesday evening with a 45.2-percent clip from the field, upped by a prestigious 17-of-40 (42.5%) going from three.
Gilgeous-Alexander took home cooking to a new level Wednesday as the Toronto-native placed 26 points, 2 rebounds, and 9 assists across 37 minutes. He played an instrumental role in the decisive moments of play, posting 16 points in the third period. SGA’s free-throw line appearances hit astute levels again in Toronto as the 23-year-old notched 12 free throw attempts, canning all tries.
Lu Dort impressed the hometown crowd as the guard clocked 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists across 38 minutes. Dort’s 20-point outings on the year stacked to nine.
Darius Bazley turned the page on a tumultuous stretch recording 15 points and 5 rebounds on a 7-of-8 shooting patch. Bazley found safeguard as a cutter for the majority of Wednesday, striking gold with a plethora of layups throughout play.
Next up, the Oklahoma City Thunder will return to the Paycom Center to face the Los Angeles Lakers.
Want to join the discussion? Like SI 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.
