SGA makes it look simple after the Raptors loss; ‘Just one of those nights’

ByNBAUSA


OKLAHOMA CITY — For Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderOklahoma City The Thunder lost 103-101 to the Toronto Raptors at home, its second loss in two days, was “one of those nights” that a team goes through. Losing a four-point lead on back-to-back 3-pointers by Immanuel Quickley, Gilgeous-Alexander, and the Thunder never regained their lead in the final 1:16.

Gilgeous-Alexander sensed Thunder was inside position to winalthough the defending champions have never led by more than seven points.

“Personally, it looked like we had control of the game. We looked good, offensively,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They had 103 points tonight. That usually suits us. It was just one of those nights.”

After having nine points in the first half, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 of his 24 points in the third quarter of the Thunder’s two-point loss. He finished with just two points in the final frame, however, as the Raptors double-teamed the ball out of SGA’s hands in the fourth quarter, as it did for most of the first half.

He was 8-for-11 from the floor and 8-for-10 from the free throw line. Gilgeus-Alexander also finished with six assists, two blocks and one steal. Quickley’s 23 points, including six 3-pointers, led six Raptors players in double figures. RJ Barrett finished with 14 points and Brandon Ingram added 13 points.

Marc Daigneault’s hard truth about the Thunder’s loss

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault gestures to his team during the second half of the game against the Toronto Raptors at the Paycom Center
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Head coach Mark Daigneault didn’t hold back Thunder late-game execution in home loss as the defending champions handed their second straight loss at the Paicom Centre. Daigneault praised the Raptors for converting critical bins down the stretch to earn a two-point win away from home.

“Obviously they made some shots and some plays. We didn’t. When you get to that point of the game, it’s all about time management, clock management. I thought we did it decently and gave ourselves a chance,” Daigneault said. “But when you get into a game that close, it’s going to come down to mistakes and misses. And the trick is: Can you play a ground game for 48 where you have more control of it up until that point?”

“But we found ourselves in that situation the last couple of nights. We did a decent job of trying to give ourselves a chance to win. We didn’t come up with it, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from it.”

The Thunder will look to avoid going 0-3 at home when they face the Pelicans on Tuesday.





2026-01-26 05:50:00

Similar Posts