Toronto Raptors hand OKC Thunder second straight loss as injuries mount for NBA champs

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t dap up his teammates once the final buzzer sounded Sunday night. He didn’t even linger on the court to chat with Team Canada teammate RJ Barrett.

The superstar guard simply untucked his jersey while making a beeline for the tunnel. He steered clear of everyone, as he was eager to leave OKC’s 103-101 home loss to Toronto in the rearview mirror. And it wasn’t hard to see why he was so frustrated.

Two points.

That’s how short the Thunder fell on a night when it already had to overcome being short-handed due to injuries. It watched the game slip away when it failed to secure a defensive board with 8.2 seconds remaining, leading to a pair of made free throws by Immanuel Quickley that served as the dagger.

That flipped the script of the game, along with the narrative. A heartwarming victory on a frigid night in Oklahoma City turned into a heartbreaking defeat.

And yet head coach Mark Daigneault wasn’t so quick to leave the loss in the rearview mirror during his postgame interview. He hopes the positives will provide some guidance for his team, as it navigates its most challenging stretch yet this season.

“A two-point loss emotionally is vast,” Daigneault said. “But a two-point loss practically is two points and one possession. Had we won that game, there would’ve been great lifts that we got from a lot of guys. … It was unfortunate that we lost, but it doesn’t mean there wasn’t effort put forth and good performances by a lot of the guys.

“It wasn’t our night, but we’ve got to hang in there.”

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

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Brandon Ingram fell victim to the Dorture Chamber once again

The name on the front of Brandon Ingram’s jersey changed when he got traded from New Orleans to Toronto last season.

But the different disguise wasn’t enough to fool Lu Dort, who remained glued to the 28-year-old forward throughout Sunday night. It was a throwback to the first round of the playoffs two seasons ago, when Dort helped hold Ingram to an average of 14.3 points on 34.5% shooting from the field (25% from deep) throughout four games.

Ingram found himself in the all-too-familiar Dorture Chamber midway through the second quarter. He tried to drive into the lane but was denied entry by Dort, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound enforcer who was likely a bouncer in another life. And after picking up his dribble, Ingram was forced to settle for a 19-foot fadeaway jumper that clanked off the rim.

Ingram ended the game with 13 points on 5-for-18 shooting from the field (0 for 3 from deep) in 36 minutes. He missed all seven of his shot attempts in the second half.

It was a quiet outing by Ingram, who has made some noise with Toronto this season. He entered Sunday with averages of 21.7 points and six rebounds on 47.1% shooting from the field (36.2% from deep), making him an All-Star candidate.

Other All-Star-caliber players have also fallen victim to Dort’s daunting defense during the past few games. That list includes guys such as Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“Zooming out, he has had a nice stretch here,” Daigneault said of Dort. “Starting with the game in Cleveland that he had on Mitchell and then the job he did in Milwaukee. And then it has continued as we’ve come back home. He has done a really nice job. He continues to be an impactful defender. He did a great job on Ingram, a guy that has done a really good job for Toronto this year.”

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Thunder’s next-man-up mentality is being tested more than ever

The Thunder entered Sunday’s game without six players from its 15-man standard roster.

Alex Caruso (right adductor strain). Isaiah Hartenstein (right soleus strain). Ajay Mitchell (abdominal strain). Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgical recovery). Nikola Topić (surgical recovery). Jalen Williams (right hamstring strain). All of them were unable to suit up.

As if that wasn’t enough of a challenge, Cason Wallace then missed the second half due to left groin soreness. It marked the fifth time in the last five games that a Thunder player has sustained an injury. And yet OKC stayed true to its next-man-up mantra, as it received contributions across the board.

Dort stepped up as a shot creator, attacking the rim in addition to providing his usual floor spacing. He finished with 19 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field (4 for 8 from deep).

Aaron Wiggins also stepped up in place of Wallace during the second half. He provided some much-needed playmaking, pouring in four assists to go along with 11 points and three rebounds.

Even Ousmane Dieng, whose minutes have been inconsistent this season, gave some valuable production when called upon. He chipped in three points, four assists and two rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.

But it wasn’t enough to beat Toronto, which didn’t get handed a victory. It earned it by making winning plays on both ends of the floor.

“They did a good job sending guys and getting second chances,” Dort said of Toronto, which converted 12 offensive boards into 13 second-chance points. “Also, they’re a team that plays really fast, and they did that tonight. They got a lot in transition as well. I feel like if we controlled that, we would’ve given ourselves a better chance to win the game.”

Things won’t get any easier for OKC. It which has the second-strongest remaining strength of schedule in the NBA, according to Tankathon, and the difficulty will especially ramp up after a home game against New Orleans on Tuesday.

OKC will face Minnesota (Jan. 29), Denver (Feb. 1), Orlando (Feb. 3), San Antonio (Feb. 4), Houston (Feb. 7), the Los Angeles Lakers (Feb. 9) and Phoenix (Feb. 11). Those seven teams have a combined record of 193-122 (.613).

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OKC gave itself a chance to win, but its late-game execution wasn’t sharp enough

Gilgeous-Alexander leads the NBA in total clutch points this season (128), and he has delivered plenty of big-time buckets.

There were his pair of game-winning free throws in an overtime victory against Houston on Oct. 21. There was also his buzzer-beating jumper that sent OKC into overtime against Utah on Jan. 7.

But with the game on the line Sunday, that big-time bucket didn’t come.

The ball instead went to Chet Holmgren, who gathered an inbound pass as OKC trailed 101-99 with 32.3 seconds remaining. He then took two dribbles and elevated for a contested 7-footer over an elite defender in Scottie Barnes, who blocked the jumper.

Gilgeous-Alexander only attempted one shot in clutch time, which is defined by the NBA as the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points. And while some of that can be chalked up to good ball denial and defense by Toronto, some of it can also be chalked up to poor execution by OKC.

That wasn’t the only example either. The Thunder still had a chance to win after that, as it trailed by the same score with 13 seconds remaining. But when Jamal Shead missed a second straight free throw, the reigning champs failed to box out.

That allowed Barnes to tap the ball out to Quickley, who got fouled and sank two free throws with 8.2 seconds left. It sealed the second straight one-possession loss for OKC, which also suffered a 117-114 home loss to Indiana on Friday.

“They obviously made some shots and some plays,” Daigneault said of Toronto. “We didn’t. When you get into a game that’s that close, it’s going to come down to makes and misses. … We found ourselves in that situation the last couple of nights. We’ve done a decent job of trying to give ourselves a chance to win. It hasn’t gone our way, but that still doesn’t mean we can’t learn from it.”

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Tip-ins

∎ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points, six assists and three rebounds in 35 minutes. He has scored at least 20 points in 117 consecutive games. That ranks second all-time, only trailing Wilt Chamberlain (126 games).

∎ Cason Wallace did not play in the second half due to left groin soreness. He finished with three points, one rebound and one assist in 16 minutes.

∎ OKC was also without Alex Caruso (right adductor strain), Isaiah Hartenstein (right soleus strain), Ajay Mitchell (abdominal strain), Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgical recovery), Nikola Topić (surgical recovery) and Jalen Williams (right hamstring strain).

∎ Toronto was without Chucky Hepburn (G League two-way), Collin Murray-Boyles (left thumb contusion) and Jakob Poeltl (lower back strain).

Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder drops second straight nailbiter in loss to Toronto Raptors

Toronto Raptors hand OKC Thunder second straight loss as injuries mount for NBA champs

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