A 24-point lead evaporated. That’s the cold, hard truth for the Oklahoma City Thunder after their 116-110 preseason opener loss to the New Orleans Pelicans in Tulsa. While it’s just preseason, watching a lead that massive disappear, especially with the Pelicans trotting out their Opening Night starters for much of the game, has to sting. The BOK Center crowd got a show alright, but probably not the one they wanted by the final buzzer.
The B Squad Lit It Up, Then Disappeared
For a solid half, everything looked brilliant for OKC’s “B squad.” With the main rotation sitting out, guys like Jared McCain and Aday Mara were absolutely cooking. McCain, with just one dribble, slung a near full-court pass to Mara, who then capped it off with a quick alley-oop. It was electric! Mara, the seven-foot behemoth, was everywhere, amping up his physicality, even contesting Yves Missi’s dunk attempt for a foul. Kenrich Williams got things rolling with a left-wing 3-pointer, and from there, the basket felt wide open.
Thanks to some seriously crisp ball movement (we’ll forgive Ajay Mitchell’s “hero-shot moments” for now), the Thunder just buried the Pelicans from outside. McCain and Bennett Stirtz were absolute flamethrowers, pouring in buckets. By the end of the first quarter, OKC had a 34-28 lead. Things only escalated, with the Thunder ripping off a 14-3 run in the second. Mara wasn’t just affecting shots at the rim on defense; he was running the floor for transition layups on offense. The 2026 NBA draft No. 12 pick was getting folks genuinely excited about his potential. OKC dropped another 33 points in the second quarter, hitting halftime with a staggering 67-52 lead. McCain even hit a trick-shot jumper to end the half. Pelicans had Zion Williamson and friends out there, and still, OKC’s B squad was dominating. That’s all the coaching staff needed to see, right?
The Second Half Meltdown That No One Expected
That’s where the wheels fell off. Hard. With the Pelicans still running out their Opening Night guys, the Thunder rolled out their “C squad”,all the two-way and Exhibit-10 dudes. The only constant from both halves was Stirtz. Mara had shown enough and got a short night. Suddenly, the lack of NBA talent on the floor was painfully obvious. The Pelicans finally made up ground, and it took OKC sitting out their first and second-string guys for it to happen. The Thunder only scraped together 26 points in the third quarter, and the defense absolutely fell apart. After three frames, that massive lead was gone, and it was a 93-90 contest.
The avalanche continued in the final frame. The Pelicans strung together 11 consecutive points at one point. Bryce McGowens hit an outside jumper to tie things up at 107, but Karlo Matkovic put New Orleans back ahead on the very next possession with five-plus minutes left. On their third stringers, OKC’s offense just died. Zero scoring juice was left. To add insult to injury, Stirtz twisted his ankle and had to leave early. The Thunder scored a paltry 17 points in the final quarter, turning that beautiful 24-point advantage into a brutal 116-110 loss. By the final buzzer, the BOK Center was mostly just empty blue and grey seats. Fans had filed out, and who could blame them?
The Thunder shot a respectable 53% from the field and an impressive 16-of-33 (48.5%) from deep. They had 29 assists on 40 baskets, and six Thunder players scored double-digits. Great numbers on paper, but when you blow a 24-point lead in your preseason opener, those stats feel hollow. What does this mean for the rest of their preseason? The coaching staff has got to be looking hard at who can actually close out a game, regardless of the lineup. They found some depth, for sure, but they also found out just how quickly that depth can disappear.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply