What to Watch for in OKC Thunder vs. Toronto Raptors

The Oklahoma City Thunder are taking on the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday evening with a long injury report that they will have to navigate. Here is what to watch for in this contest.

Jan 25, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Toronto Raptors forward/guard Scottie Barnes (4) and Oklahoma City Thunder center/forward Chet Holmgren (7) reach for a loose ball during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder will head to Toronto on Tuesday night to take on the Raptors, trying to build on the momentum that was gained by Sunday's upset win over Cleveland. In this game, the Thunder will be without superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-NBA swingman Jalen Williams, Rising Star Ajay Mitchell with even All Star Chet Holmgren and Defense ace Alex Caruso being tabbed as questionable.

The Raptors are riding a two game winning streak and are 16-13 at home where they host the Bricktown Ballers tonight.

What to Watch For

Any time the Oklahoma City Thunder do battle without their three offensive engines –– Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell –– they will be fighting an uphil battle. Though, as seen on Sunday, the 3 point shot is the great equalizer. OKC will need to torch the nets again from distance to be able to overcome their lack of shot creation. This Raptors defense also has length, versatility and physicality, which makes driving lanes even harder to come by.

The Thunder continue to work Jared McCain into their rotation and this is another great spot for him down Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams, the Thunder just need simply any form of shot creation on the court and McCain has thrived scoring double-digits in the past four games.

Cason Wallace has expanded his game recently on the ball, Sunday dishing out a career-high ten assists against Cleveland, the Thunder can continue to explore this area of his game while getting a look at it against a really good defense. How will Wallace handle this swarming unit? It could go a long way in bolstering his confidence to do more on the ball in high pressure moments.

Toronto's front court is a bit lacking, though, Scottie Barnes has been more than scale-able defenders in the NBA. Chet Holmgren, should he play, will still have his hands full. How he responses from his last time out against Toronto where he had a poor shooting night, will be interesting.

Game Information

• Date: Feb. 24
• Matchup: OKC Thunder (44-14) vs. Toronto Raptors (34-23)
• Time: 06:30 PM CT
• Location: Scotiabank Arena –– Toronto, CA
• TV: FanDuel Sports OK
• Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM)

It was just over 48 hours ago that the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off a massive upset over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, the Thunder take aim to the Toronto Raptors on the road on the front end of a back to back down a handful of massive weapons.

The Thunder will need to regroup, win or lose, and get prepared to fly to Detriot to take on the Pistons on Wednesday evening in another Nationally Televised tilt between the two sides with the best record in the NBA.

Stay tuned to Thunder on SI for complete coverage of this game and the rest of the season for the Oklahoma City Thunder.