Latest news with #OKC
Time of India
a day ago
- Sport
- Time of India
NBA draft news: Oklahoma City Thunder take Brooks Barnhizer at No. 44 despite season-ending foot injury
In a surprising twist on Day 2 of the 2025 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are the reigning champions, decided to take a gamble on Brooks Barnhizer, a gritty wing from Northwestern. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He only managed to play 17 games last season because of a persistent foot injury, but the 6′6″ forward still averaged 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. This pick reflects OKC's trust in his work ethic and defensive instincts, even though he's coming into the league on a two-way contract. Oklahoma City Thunder is banking on a trait that doesn't show up in shooting percentages Barnhizer had some impressive stats in his senior year: across 17 games, he put up an average of 17.1 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, 2.3 SPG, and 1.1 BPG, playing nearly 37 minutes each game. He also set a program record with seven straight double-doubles, placing him among the top players in the NCAA. Unfortunately, his season came to a sudden stop in January due to a recurring foot injury that kept him out for the remainder of 2024–25. OKC isn't just crunching numbers—they're counting on his defensive toughness. Barnhizer ranked in the 87th percentile defensively as per Synergy and restricted opponents to a low 0.741 points per possession. His pick-and-roll defense is even better, landing in the 92nd percentile. At 6′6″ with a 6′11″ wingspan, his quickness, timing, and anticipation make him a formidable presence—traits that Thunder GM Sam Presti and coach Mark Daigneault really appreciate. On the offensive side, Barnhizer showed efficiency with a 41.4 FG%, but he was inconsistent from three-point range, hitting only 31% and just 26.6% on catch-and-shoot opportunities. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now His mid-range shot and passing ability are notable—he averaged 4.2 assists per game—but he lacks that explosive speed, and his shooting technique is still a work in progress. Nevertheless, his 76% free-throw shooting indicates he has a solid touch, and the development staff in OKC could help him improve his range. Reports suggest Barnhizer is moving towards a two-way contract with the Thunder. He'll probably share his time between OKC and the Blue in the G League, in a setup created by coach Kam Woods that reflects the NBA organization. With Thunder mainstays like Aaron Wiggins and Alex Ducas following this trajectory, Barnhizer's defensive adaptability and energy position him well in that growth framework. Also Read: Oklahoma City's choice of Brooks Barnhizer at No. 44 is a strategic bet on his effort, defensive intelligence, and instincts. Even though a foot injury limited his senior season—and his shooting is still uncertain—his impressive college stats and competitive spirit fit well with Thunder culture. If he develops in OKC's program and improves his outside shooting, he might become an essential glue player. Regardless, anticipate him to battle for every minute as the season progresses.
Time of India
a day ago
- Sport
- Time of India
'KFC, UFC, USC, OKC in 5': Anthony Edwards' raw behind-the-scenes reaction to Oklahoma City Thunder loss goes viral after Western Conference Finals exit
Images via Getty Images Anthony Edwards isn't hiding from the truth—or the pain. After a season that saw him grow into one of the league's most lethal perimeter threats and lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to their second straight Western Conference Finals, Edwards faced a hard lesson in Oklahoma City. The Thunder humbled the Wolves in five games, ending their title hopes. But in true Edwards fashion, he met the moment with raw honesty, humor, and a promise to come back swinging. And yes, he said it all on camera—unedited, unfiltered, and straight from the heart. Anthony Edwards turning Oklahoma City Thunder West Finals loss into fuel for Minnesota Timberwolves' 2025 revenge run The Timberwolves ' 2024–25 campaign was one of growth, especially for Anthony Edwards . He elevated his offensive game, became a premier three-point shooter, and led Minnesota through a dominant postseason stretch, crushing the Los Angeles Lakers and outlasting the depleted Golden State Warriors . But when the Western Conference Finals rolled around, the Oklahoma City Thunder put a hard stop to the Wolves' run. Their elite defense smothered Edwards, holding the star guard in check as OKC cruised to a five-game series win. The Thunder went on to win the NBA title, but for Edwards, that didn't make the sting any easier—or the loss any lighter to carry. On Thursday, Edwards shared a behind-the-scenes vlog on his personal YouTube channel, showing his raw post-game reaction in the hallway of Paycom Center, the Thunder's home arena. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Nhà container vận chuyển thực sự có giá bao nhiêu? - Xem giá Shipping Container Homes Tìm hiểu thêm Undo 'Season five over with,' Edwards said, facing the camera. 'Got my a** whooped. KFC, UFC, USC, OKC in 5, man.' He didn't sugarcoat the experience. 'I ain't gonna make no excuses,' he continued. 'They put belt to a**. I can't be mad at that, right?... You gotta win like a boss and lose like a boss.' That humility quickly turned into fuel. 'We gonna be right back on they a** next year,' Edwards said to close the clip with a confident nod. Also Read: Carmelo Anthony praises Anthony Edwards for going at LeBron James: 'Not everybody wants that type of action While Minnesota's season didn't end with a parade, Edwards made it clear on Thursday—he's not going anywhere. What happened in OKC will stick with him, but not to haunt him. Instead, it's motivation. If his fire on YouTube is any indication, Anthony Edwards is already looking ahead to next year, with a vengeance and something to prove. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
What does NBA championship mean for Sam Presti's legacy? Everything
Ain't a thing without the ring. That's the phrase most Sam Presti haters have leaned on over the last two decades. While the Oklahoma City Thunder have been a perennial contender since he took the GM job in 2007, a lack of a championship has been his biggest Achilles heel. Sure, Presti drafted three MVP winners and developed another in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Sure, the Thunder have been a title contender for most years. Sure, OKC is regarded as one of the best drafting organizations. Sure, every NBA player who's played here has mostly enjoyed their time. But being short of a championship has been the ultimate go-to argument used against Presti. Stephen A. Smith has made a living out of it. Anytime Presti has been brought up, he'd repeat his same argument like a toy action figure who only has a limited number of sayings recorded when you press their button. "Sam Presti will finally have an opportunity to win a championship. He's done everything else except that. With the talent he's accumulated, you got to win a 'ship," Smith would repeatedly say across the airwaves. As oversimplified as that might be, there's no denying how popular that thought was about the Thunder and Presti. You have all these team and individual accolades stuffed in your trophy case, but no Larry O'Brien. Well, that finally changed this past Sunday. The Thunder completed one of the greatest seasons ever with a Game 7 win over the Indiana Pacers to seal the 2025 NBA Finals. With a coinflip chance to end up as one of the best teams ever or biggest disappointments ever, OKC was on the right side of the 50-50 shot. A historic 68-14 regular-season campaign won't go in vain. Gilgeous-Alexander's historic MVP season won't be viewed in the same way as 2007 Dirk Nowitzki. Instead, Brian Windhorst has argued that his 2025 year is up there with 2013 LeBron and 1996 Michael Jordan as some of the greatest individual seasons the NBA has ever seen. The Thunder can thank Presti for that. Some luck was involved for sure. But luck is hard work that meets opportunity. Nobody thought Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams would develop into Gen Z Jordan and Pippen. Same with Mark Daigneault as he ascended into one of the best coaches. Hitting on the margins with second-round and undrafted players like Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Kenrich Williams and Isaiah Joe has also helped. Hitting a home run with lottery selections like Cason Wallace is also the lifeblood for the small-market franchise. That doesn't even include having the resources and rapport to pull off last year's offseason additions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. The stars aligned for the two veteran pieces to come in and boost OKC's chances to win a title. Once you win a championship, your entire legacy is recontextualized. That goes beyond the players. For Presti, it means he's cemented his spot as one of the greatest NBA GMs ever. Conventional wisdom has caught up to the reality that OKC folks and every smart NBA analyst have known about him for years. And considering the Thunder's runway with Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Chet Holmgren on the verge of being locked down for the foreseeable future, it's easy to see them run off with more deep playoff runs and even more championships. Nobody else is better set up to contend in the short-term and long-term future. Presti has his fingerprints all over this Thunder championship roster. Now that he's reached the NBA's mountaintop, there's nothing left for his biggest doubters to hang onto.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
2026 NBA Finals Futures Odds: Can Anyone Dethrone Reigning Champion OKC?
Oddsmakers see Oklahoma City as the clear favorite to win the NBA Finals for the second year in a row in 2026. Oddsmakers see Oklahoma City as the clear favorite to win the NBA Finals for the second year in a row in 2026. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. After winning the 2025 NBA Finals as one of the youngest championship-winning teams in league history, the Thunder are unsurprisingly heavily favored to win it all, again, in 2026. With a 26-year-old MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and two stars that are 24 years old or younger (Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren), it would be an understatement to say that the Thunder aren't going anywhere. Depending on what they do with picks No. 15, 24, and 44 in the 2025 NBA Draft tonight, the Thunder could have at least three promising rookies in their rotation in 2025-26 (the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, 6-foot-6 G Nikola Topic, missed this past season due to injury). 2026 NBA Finals Futures Odds DK FD bet365 Thunder +225 +220 +220 Rockets +750 +850 +800 Cavaliers +850 +800 +800 Knicks +850 +900 +900 Timberwolves +1300 +1400 +1400 Lakers +1400 +1500 +1400 Nuggets +1500 +1600 +1600 Celtics +2000 +1700 +1600 Warriors +2000 +2900 +2200 Magic +2000 +1200 +1400 Can Anyone Unseat The Thunder? Recent NBA history tells us that it's almost impossible to win back-to-back titles. The last team to repeat as champs was Golden State (2017 and 2018). In both 2023 and 2024, when the Nuggets and Celtics won the title in dominant fashion, those looked poised to repeat. Neither made the Finals the following season, though. OKC, however, looks like a different story. For one thing, there's a good chance that injuries will be less of a factor in the 2025-26 regular season than they were in 2024-25. Remember, this year's Thunder played more than half of the regular season without Chet Holmgren due to an early-season hip injury that limited him to 32 regular-season appearances. OKC was also without center Isaiah Hartenstein for 25 games, and Alex Caruso missed 28 games in the regular season. In 2025-26, the Thunder will have enough depth to win 70 regular-season games or more if healthy. OKC will be lucky to be as injury-free next postseason as it was over the last couple months, though. The top nine players in the Thunder rotation all played in at least 21 of their 23 playoff games this year. '26 NBA Finals Best Longshot Bets: ORL, DEN For all the reasons outlined above -- not to mention the scary possibility that MVP SGA, All-Star Jalen Williams and likely NBA All-Defense contender Holmgren could all be even better with another year of experience -- there are no Western Conference teams I'd be in a hurry to back to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy next June. That being said, if we have to give out one longshot from each conference based on what we know at the moment, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets (best odds as of June 25: +1600 at FD, bet365) would be my pick. Denver has some key decisions to make this summer around Jokic, but it did take OKC to seven games in this year's Western Conference Semifinals despite dealing with a number of injuries. Orlando A Contender Following Desmond Bane Trade? The East looks wide-open, though. Three of the top teams in the conference this year (Boston, Indiana and Milwaukee) will be without at least one massive piece after Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard all tore their Achilles during the 2025 playoffs. Boston has already dealt away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. And the Celtics may not be done offloading high-earning players, as they appear intent on drastically cutting costs between now and Tatum's return to action in 2026-27. With the Knicks yet to hire a replacement for coach Tom Thibodeau, the most intriguing team in this conference is the Magic. Orlando made the first blockbuster trade of the summer during the Finals, when it acquired Desmond Bane from the Grizzlies. Bane has never been an All-Star, but he profiles as a great fit with the Magic, which suffered from a lack of outside shooting this season. He is a career 41 percent 3-point shooter on 6.3 3PA per game. Bane's also a quality defender who will make the Magic -- who finished the 2024-25 regular season with the second-best defensive rating -- that much more difficult to score on. Orlando finished just seventh in the East in 2024-25 as starters Paolo Banchero (46 regular-season games played in 2024-25), Franz Wagner (60 games) and Jalen Suggs (35 games) all missed at least 20 regular-season games. But assuming this team stays healthy next year (or at least healthier) and Bane fits as seamlessly as expected, the Magic could absolutely contend for -- if not win -- the East. Oddsmakers agree, as both FanDuel and bet365 list Orlando as +450 or shorter to win the Eastern Conference next season, behind only the Cavs and Knicks. Obviously, a ton would have to go right for the Magic to take this kind of a leap, but there's not a more tempting 2026 NBA Finals longshot bet at the moment than Banchero and Co. at 20-to-1 (DK). Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through the links in this article. See the sportsbook operator's terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
How historic has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's start been in NBA Finals? Inside the numbers
After letting a big lead slip away in the fourth quarter of Game 1, there was no such letdown in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 123-107 Game 2 victory at Paycom Center on Sunday night. Here's a look at some numbers behind the Thunder's victory to even the series: Advertisement 5 TAKEAWAYS: Thunder thumps Pacers in NBA Finals Game 2 as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC even up series Thunder take advantage of turnovers 10: Fewer turnovers forced in Game 2 by the Thunder vs. Game 1, 25-15. 3: More points off turnovers in Game 2 by the Thunder vs. Game 1, 14-11. During the 19-2 run that put OKC in control in the second quarter, seven of the last nine points were scored by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander off Indiana turnovers. CARLSON: A late Tyrese Haliburton heater doesn't doom Thunder in NBA Finals this time More Shai Gilgeous-Alexander historical marks 72: Points for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander through two games in the NBA Finals, the most-ever for a player in his first two Finals games. Allen Iverson scored 71 in his first two Finals games in 2001. Advertisement 12: Players in NBA history to score a combined 3,000 points in the regular season and postseason. Gilgeous-Alexander reached that mark Sunday night. Luka Doncic was the most recent to accomplish the feat, doing it in 2023-24. Only Michael Jordan (10 times) and Wilt Chamberlain (5) have done it multiple times. RECAP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder storm past Indiana Pacers in Game 2 to tie NBA Finals Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots a 3-pointer in the third quarter during game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center Oklahoma City, on Sunday, June 8, 2025. Thunder goes big with Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein 5:04: Minutes played with both Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein on the floor after the duo didn't share the floor at all in Game 1. The Thunder outscored the Pacers 11-7 during the two stretches with the two bigs. Advertisement More: Aaron Wiggins saved basketball in Thunder's NBA Finals Game 2 win: Social media reacts Thunder offense spreads it out 5: Thunder players with 15 or more points. Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 34, Alex Caruso added 20, Jalen Williams 19, Aaron Wiggins 18 and Holmgren 15. The Thunder is the first team since the 2019 Toronto Raptors to have five players with 15 or more points in an NBA Finals game. 38: Combined points from Caruso and Wiggins, making them the third pair of teammates to score 18 or more points each off the bench in an NBA Finals game since 1970-71. 3: Players with four or more assists. Gilgeous-Alexander had eight, Jalen Williams five and Isaiah Hartenstein four. The trio combined for more assists than the Thunder had collectively in Game 1, where it posted a season-low 13. Sunday, OKC finished with 25. Advertisement More: NBA Finals Game 2 box score, stats: OKC Thunder ties up series vs Indiana Pacers Slowing Tyrese Haliburton 9: Total first-half points for Pacers' star Tyrese Haliburton in the series. Sunday he scored 17 points but 12 of those came in the fourth quarter with the Thunder well ahead. More: Ex-Mavs coach Don Nelson earns NBA Lifetime Achievement Award, protests Luka Doncic trade Ryan Aber covers OU athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Ryan? He can be reached at raber@ or on Twitter at @RyAber . Sign up for the OU Sooners newsletter to access more OU coverage. Support Ryan's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at . This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Inside NBA Finals Game 2 stats for SGA, OKC Thunder vs Indiana Pacers
