TORONTO –
The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to show their depth even without several key stars.
Cason Wallace scored 27 points and Isaiah Joe added 22 to help the short-handed Thunder defeat the Toronto Raptors 116-107 on Tuesday night. Oklahoma City has now won five of its last six games and continues to thrive despite missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell.
The Thunder needed key contributions from role players to fill the void left by the injured starters.
Wallace answers when Toronto rallies
Oklahoma City appeared in control before Toronto mounted a late push.
Jamal Shead drilled a three-pointer to tie the game at 101 in the fourth quarter, but Wallace immediately responded with back-to-back scores to push the Thunder back in front.
Wallace finished with a game-high 27 points, helping Oklahoma City steady itself down the stretch.
Head coach Mark Daigneault praised the young guard’s poise.
“Kason was brilliant all night, but he was huge in that stretch,” Daigneault said. “He had four straight points and then found Isaiah for the three… seven points right after the tie that opened the game back up.”
Thunder survive tense fourth quarter
After building a lead as large as 25, Oklahoma City briefly looked vulnerable during Toronto’s fourth-quarter surge.
A stretch of missed hookup opportunities allowed the Raptors to claw back, but the Thunder regrouped late behind Wallace, Joe and Luguentz Dort.
Dort emphasized execution after the game.
“Obviously still without having our main guys, we know that we got to execute and find the best shot that we can get,” Dort said. “Down the stretch, we just had to find the best shots, which we did.”
What’s next
The Thunder now head to Detroit for the second night of a back-to-back against the Pistons, with player availability worth monitoring.
Even while short-handed, Oklahoma City continues to stack wins and prove its depth is built for moments like this.