Thunder Fall Short Again as Late-Game Execution Raises Questions
In back-to-back heartbreakers, the Oklahoma City Thunder are learning the hard way just how thin the margin for error can be in the NBA. Sunday’s 103-101 loss to the Toronto Raptors marked their second consecutive defeat at home - both games slipping through their fingers in the final seconds and both ending without the ball in the hands of their MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Gilgeous-Alexander had just come off a 47-point explosion in a narrow loss to Indiana. Against Toronto, he was quieter but still impactful - finishing with 23 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting.
Most of his damage came in the third quarter, where he went a perfect 4-for-4 and dropped 11 points to help the Thunder build a lead. But down the stretch, he barely touched the ball.
His last field goal came with 5:40 left in the fourth, and his final point - a free throw - gave Oklahoma City a slim 97-95 edge just before the two-minute mark.
From there, it was Immanuel Quickley who stole the moment. The Raptors guard drilled back-to-back threes that flipped the game on its head. The Thunder, meanwhile, turned to Aaron Wiggins and Kenrich Williams - two players who have stepped up in bigger roles with Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein out - but who typically wouldn’t be taking high-leverage shots in the final minute.
“It felt like we had control of the game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said afterward. “We were getting good looks offensively.
They had 103 points tonight. That usually does it for us.”
He’s not wrong. On most nights, holding a team to 103 points should be enough for a team as offensively gifted as Oklahoma City. But when your closer - and arguably the most unguardable player on the floor - doesn’t get a touch in the final possessions, it raises eyebrows.
Head coach Mark Daigneault has built a culture in Oklahoma City that empowers every player, from the stars to the last man in the rotation. It’s why guys like Wiggins and Williams aren’t afraid to take big shots - and to their credit, they’ve hit plenty. But there’s a difference between trusting your depth and putting the ball in the hands of your best player when the game is on the line.
And that’s where the Thunder stumbled again.
With under 30 seconds left and the Thunder trailing by two, the play went to rookie big man Chet Holmgren. He took two dribbles left and pulled up for a contested midrange jumper over Scottie Barnes - a matchup that heavily favored Toronto.
Barnes, one of the league’s premier defenders, swatted the shot. Gilgeous-Alexander never touched the ball.
Holmgren had just scored on the previous possession, and it’s understandable to ride the hot hand. But in a one-possession game with the clock winding down, the reigning MVP has to be the first option. Whether the play was drawn up for Holmgren or whether he broke it off early, the result was the same - another missed opportunity to let SGA do what he does best.
Barnes BLOCKS Chet Holmgren’s shot. Toronto regains possession with 21.7 seconds left, clinging onto a 101-99 lead.
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) January 26, 2026
What a stop out of the Thunder timeout pic.twitter.com/6saRv544jy
The Thunder still had a chance after that. They fouled to stop the clock, and while Jamal Shead missed his free throws, Quickley hit his to extend the lead. Oklahoma City had one last look, but Wiggins’ long two dropped as the final buzzer sounded - too little, too late.
This one stung. Not just because it was a winnable game, but because it mirrored Friday’s loss to Indiana, where the Thunder’s final shot - a deep corner three from Isaiah Joe - clanged off the rim as time expired. Once again, the Thunder’s go-to guy wasn’t the one with the ball in his hands.
“We’ve found ourselves in that situation the last couple of nights,” Daigneault said postgame. “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.”
That’s the silver lining for a young team still learning how to close out games. But it’s also a learning moment for the coaching staff.
Trusting your system is important. So is trusting your players.
But when the game is on the line, sometimes the best option is the most obvious one.
Gilgeous-Alexander has seen it all this season - traps, doubles, switches - and he’s still found ways to produce. When asked how he adjusts to constant pressure from defenses, his response was simple: “Just play basketball.
The goal of the game offensively is to put two guys on the ball. And there, you just make a play.”
That’s the mindset of a star who’s not just willing, but eager, to take those shots - to make the right read, even under duress. And that’s exactly the kind of player you want with the ball in his hands when the game hangs in the balance.
Holmgren finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Lu Dort added 19, knocking down four threes, while Kenrich Williams chipped in 15 points and five boards off the bench. But without Jalen Williams and Hartenstein, the Thunder were thinner than usual - and it showed, particularly in the final minutes.
Scottie Barnes anchored Toronto’s defense, which ranks among the league’s best, and the Raptors’ game plan to limit SGA worked just well enough. They stayed attached, doubled when needed, and forced the Thunder to look elsewhere.
But the Thunder will look back at this one as a missed opportunity - not just because of the loss, but because of how it unfolded. In a game that came down to a single possession, the ball never found its way to the player who’s carried them all season.
For the first time since November 2023, Oklahoma City has dropped two straight at home. And while there’s no need to panic - this team is still one of the West’s best - it’s clear that when the game tightens, the Thunder need to tighten their focus too.
Because in the NBA, the difference between winning and losing often comes down to one decision. And more often than not, the right one is to let your star shine.