Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder fell 103-101 during Sunday’s home clash against the Toronto Raptors, marking their second straight loss and third in five games.
The tough defeat ended any hopes of OKC matching the Golden State Warriors’ single-season wins record (73-9). Still, Gilgeous-Alexander downplayed worries about the defending NBA champions postgame.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Maintains Poise As Thunder’s Midseason Drop-Off Continues
Sunday’s contest was a gritty, hard-fought affair, with no team leading by more than seven points. OKC appeared to have the momentum late until a pair of clutch 3-pointers by Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley in the final two minutes turned Toronto’s two-point deficit (97-95) into a four-point advantage (101-97).
Raptors star forward Scottie Barnes later came through on the defensive end, blocking Thunder star big man Chet Holmgren’s game-tying midrange jump-shot attempt with 29.6 seconds remaining, allowing Toronto to prevail at the free-throw line.
Toronto comes up clutch against OKC🔥 pic.twitter.com/lkn4K3AP2q
— StatHunter (@stat_hunter) January 26, 2026
OKC, which was without several key players, including star wing Jalen Williams (hamstring), struggled to generate consistent offense outside of Gilgeous-Alexander.
Meanwhile, the reigning MVP, who recorded a game-high 24 points on 8-for-11 shooting (72.7%), was held to just three points on one shot attempt in the fourth quarter by Toronto’s suffocating defense.
Since starting the season on a historic pace by winning 24 of their first 25 games, the Thunder have gone a relatively pedestrian 13-9. Sunday’s loss marked their 10th of the season, ruling out any outside chance of tying the Warriors’ iconic wins record set in the 2015-16 season.
Even so, Gilgeous-Alexander appeared unbothered postgame, noting that his squad’s defense put it in a prime position to emerge victorious against an upper-echelon interconference opponent.
“It felt like we had control of the game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We were getting good looks offensively. They had 103 points tonight. That usually does it for us. Just one of those nights.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reacts to OKC’s 10th loss of the season and third in the last five games. pic.twitter.com/u2VsjjBDZ7
— StatHunter (@stat_hunter) January 26, 2026
OKC coach Mark Daigneault echoed a similar sentiment, boiling the loss down to late-game offensive execution.
“They obviously made some shots and some plays. We didn’t,” Daigneault said.
“… We’ve 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 it still doesn’t mean we can’t learn from it.”
To Daigneault’s point, four of the Thunder’s last five losses have come by three points or fewer. As such, a trade deadline deal for another shot creator to ease Gilgeous-Alexander’s offensive burden could be beneficial as OKC (37-10) looks to get back on track and fortify its title defense.
