3 Takeaways From OKC Thunder Win vs. Toronto Raptors

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Toronto Raptors did battle on Tuesday night in a thrilling game that nearly saw the Thunder blow it but Cason Wallace would not be denied.

Dec 5, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) reacts after making a basket against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Tuesday was always going to be a struggle for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Not only did they have the challenge of going up against one of the league's best defenses in the Toronto Raptors, down Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-NBA swingman Jalen Williams and Rising star Ajay Mitchell.

Oklahoma City got down double figures early in this game, their offense was out of sorts, and the turnovers were plentiful for the Bricktown Ballers to start this contest. Though the Thunder eventually settled in. Not only did they erase the 10-point deficit but turned the game on its head with a 35-19 advantage in the second frame and a 38-29 point win in the third quarter.

The Thunder got up by as many as 25 points in this game, holding the lead from mid-way through the second quarter all the way through the x mark in the fourth.

The fourth quarter is when Toronto threw their counter punch. They started so hot that Oklahoma City bench boss Mark Daigneault needed a timeout less than two minutes into the period. This was part of a 27-5 final frame run by the Raptors to dwindle the deficit and tied the game at the 3:58 mark in the fourth quarter.

In that fourth quarter, the clock struck midnight on this duct-taped offensive unit down their three leaders. But back-to-back Cason Wallace drives to the cup broke the tie and kept the Thunder in front as part of a 9-0 run for Oklahoma City.

All the Bricktown Ballers had to do was nurse a nine point lead with just 2:29 left in the contest. The Thunder's defense generated the stops needed to get the win iced by a critical put back finish by Chet Holmgren to earn a 116-107 win over Toronto.

Feb 12, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) stands during a break in play against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

3 Takeaways From OKC Thunder vs. Toronto Raptors

Isaiah Joe Can Catch Fire in a Hurry

It was a silent night for Joe through the first two quarters. The Arkansas product, who is playing the best basketball of his career over the last month, was shut out before intermission. In the third quarter, he made up for it in a big way. He turned in 19 points in the frame, knocking down five triples in that 12 minute segment which featured two different four point plays for the Oklahoma City sharpshooter. Not to mention his two steals, two rebounds and three assists.

Joe finished with 22 points, two rebounds, three assists, two steals and a pair of drawn offensive fouls on the Raptors in 33 minutes of action.

Cason Wallace Has Made a Leap

"You never know when a player is going to pop," Mark Daigneault said pregame. Tonight, Wallace affirmed his reecent hot stretch by showing that his offensive development is real. He started 4-fr-4 from distance and operated as the Thunder's go-to guy offensively for the 48 minute contest.

He created for himself in a big way, a stop on a dime step back triple highlighted his night that was capped off by a trio of tough rim finishes in the fourth quarter to seal this win over the Raptors and turn a tied game into a comfortable cushion for Oklahoma City.

Wallace was in complete control of this game on the offensive end logging 27 points, eight rebounds, six assists, a steal while shooting 68% from the floor and 4-for-5 from 3.

Alex Caruso Sets a Tone

The Oklahoma City Thunder got down double figures early in this one. The Toronto Raptors were giving the Thunder fits with their size, length, versitility and physicality. That added up given the team's lack of creators.

Though, when Alex Caruso entered the picture, the OKC Thunder were able to fight fire with fire. He was constantly disrupting Toronto's offense flow. From deflections, to steals to tightly contested jumpers it all went Oklahoma City's way when the defensive ace was in the game. Suddenly, 50-50 balls were 80-20, OKC's way.

On the offensive end, after a rough start as the lead ball handler, expectedly so, Caruso settled into his natural play finishing role. A put-back started his scoring, then he drilled a catch-and-shoot three and capped it off by laying in a fast-break finish to go on a personal 5-0 run to swing the game. By the end of the third frame, the Texas A&M product had 16 points off the bench in 17 minutes and was a +27 in the block score thanks to the pair of steals and rebounds he collected. He also dished out four assists as a connective playmaker. This allowed the Thunder to enter the final frame up 18 points.

This was huge in turning the tide in a game where OKC was once down ten and getting enough cushion built to pull off the road upset of Toronto.

Up next, the Oklahoma City Thunder travel to the Motor City to take on the Pistons on Wednesday. This will be on the second night of a back-to-back set.