Nikola Topić officially debuts in the NBA with a roaring ovation from OKC fans

ByNBAUSA


Oklahoma City fans were proud to finally see Nikola Topić made his long-awaited debut in the NBA in the Thunder’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.

Topic entered the league when the Thunder selected him 12th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. However, he has yet to make his debut due to serious injuries and ailments. He tore his ACL, which kept him out of the 2024-25 campaign, and dealt with testicular cancer for part of this current season.

Fortunately for the talented prospect, he finally recovered when he took the Thunder court for the first regular season debut of his career. Oklahoma City fans made sure give him a big round of applause for his resilience through the hardships he experiences.

As Nikola Topić, the Thunder played against the Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks forward Usman Dieng (21) is defended by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jaylin Williams (6) on his way to the basket during the first half at Paycom Center.
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Nikola Topić scored the first points and even registered a rebound and an assist in his debut. However, the Thunder entered the All-Star break with a 110-93 loss to the Bucks.

Oklahoma City was shorthanded as the team was missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams due to injury. Milwaukee took advantage though as the visitors won all four quarters during the match.

Three players scored in double figures for Oklahoma City in the loss. Isaiah Joe led the way with 17 points, four rebounds and two assists. He shot 5-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, and 3-of-3 from the free throw line. Next is Chet Holmgren with 16 points and 13 rebounds, Jared McCain had 13 points and three rebounds, while Lugence Dort, Kenrich Williams and Alex Caruso scored nine points each.

Oklahoma City fell to a 42-14 record on the season, but remains in first place in the Western Conference standings. They are three games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs and 6.5 games ahead of the Denver Nuggets.

The Thunder are officially in rest mode for the upcoming All-Star Weekend festivities in Los Angeles. They will continue next week when they host the Brooklyn Nets on February 20th at 8:00 PM ET.





2026-02-13 03:22:00

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