Overview
- The Los Angeles Clippers closed on a 7-0 run capped by Darius Garland's three-point play with 50.4 seconds left to beat the Thunder 113-112 on Friday night.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points and missed a 21-foot buzzer attempt that would have won the game for Oklahoma City.
- Oklahoma City played shorthanded with starters Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace out and Ajay Mitchell listed questionable after missing the prior game with a left ankle sprain.
- The Thunder recalled Nikola Topić from the G League and inserted him in the first quarter for his season debut, where he made an immediate play with a lob to Isaiah Hartenstein.
- The loss was Oklahoma City's third straight and narrows the margin for error in West Group B of the NBA Cup, underscoring how sustained injuries are forcing heavy minutes on core players and opening a short-term need for depth.