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Dribbling into the paint, Nikola Topic suddenly stopped his dribble and spun around for a short turnaround jumper that banked in. Paired with two previous outside buckets, the 19-year-old slammed the door in the final moments as the closer.
The Oklahoma City Thunder did enough to get a 90-81 Summer League win over the Brooklyn Nets. It was a nice appetizer that was followed by the main event of the Los Angeles Lakers and Cooper Flagg.
The Thunder and Nets both needed some time to get some momentum. Neither reached double-digit points until halfway through the first quarter. The Thunder had a 22-15 lead after the first frame. At least OKC fans were finally able to watch Summer League basketball in quality definition.
After that, the pace picked up. The Thunder went on a run. Then the Nets did the same. Topic found Ajay Mitchell for a 3-pointer. In his first start, Chris Youngblood took advantage of the opportunity. On the other side, Drew Timme played like his Gonzaga days.
Both teams were even at 22 points in the second quarter. The Thunder had a 44-37 halftime lead. It didn’t take long for the Nets to take the lead after the break. They scored the first 11 points as Egor Demin nailed a 3-pointer to give Brooklyn a 48-44 lead less than three minutes into the third frame.
After being rattled, the Thunder regrouped. They played better the rest of the way. After a forgettable first half, Topic gained confidence and calmed things down. He found Malevy Leons for an alley-oop. The Thunder scored 23 points in the third quarter and held a 67-58 lead.
Before you even realized it, it was clutch time. Tosan Evbuomwan’s layup cut the Thunder’s lead to five points with five minutes left. The Nets were within reach on the scoreboard. And then Topic did his best Shai Gilgeous-Alexander impersonation and took over.
Topic’s back-to-back 3-pointers followed by a nice post move put the Thunder up 81-73 with a little over two minutes left. The 19-year-old ended Brooklyn’s faint comeback hopes as the final moments took agonizingly long. To the point, the Vegas crowd booed every stoppage as they awaited Flagg and Bronny James.
The Thunder shot 46% from the field and went 8-of-29 (27.6%) from 3. They shot 12-of-18 on free throws. They had 20 assists on 35 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Mitchell finished with 20 points and five rebounds. Topic had 18 points, six assists and four rebounds. Youngblood scored 19 points. Hason Ward had 10 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Nets shot 39% from the field and went 8-of-32 (25%) from 3. They shot 23-of-28 on free throws. They had 14 assists on 25 baskets. Three Nets players scored double-digit points.
Timme dominated with 22 points and nine rebounds. Evbuomwan had 13 points and four rebounds. Nolan Traore also had 13 points. 2025 No. 8 pick Demin had a quiet eight points and four rebounds.
Usually, you don’t get your bang for your buck in the Summer League. But this was worth the two hours if you’re a Thunder fan. You saw Mitchell and Topic both notch up encouraging outings. The starting backcourt includes the two most important players of this year’s summer event.
And you also earned a resume-building win. Results don’t matter, but the Nets’ Summer League roster is stacked with blue-chip prospects. They’re in a rebuild and had a five-player 2025 NBA draft class. To beat them with just three NBA players is impressive.
Let’s look at Thunder player grades:
Nikola Topic: A
As the cliche goes, it’s not how you start but how you finish. Sign Topic up as a believer. Through the first half, it felt like we were on our way to another forgettable Summer League outing. It’s understandable to be patient with the 19-year-old after he was out for over a year. Eventually, though, you’ve got to show something.
Topic eventually did. He finished with 18 points on 7-of-18 shooting, six assists and four rebounds. He shot 2-of-6 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had a steal.
One of the things you look for from a young player this early in their career is if they can adjust midgame. It’s one thing to dominate throughout a contest or struggle from the jump, but making the right adjustments to salvage a slow start could accelerate a player’s progress.
After a shaky first half, Topic did exactly that. He looked like a completely different player in the second half with 14 points. He pushed in transition with a few fastbreak buckets. The 19-year-old showed off some of his passing talents with high-difficulty passes. He formed a bond with Leons as a rim-runner.
In the clutch, Topic took over with his scoring. Two straight outside buckets and a post-up score flexed what he could do in that department. You saw him gain more confidence as the game progressed. His playmaking got a lot more dicier with deep passes that landed in his teammates’ catch radius.
This was arguably Topic’s best Summer League game yet, considering the circumstances. He faced a talented Nets squad with several high-end prospects. Eventually founded a groove and stepped up big time as the Thunder kept their distance in the final moments.
Ajay Mitchell: A
Being on the same page with Topic, Mitchell ran past halfcourt to receive a deep inbound pass. The 23-year-old enjoyed a rare dunk as the backcourt duo outsmarted the Nets for the easy bucket before halftime.
Mitchell finished with 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting, five rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-5 from 3 and went 6-of-7 on free throws. He also had two steals and a block.
Ball security was a problem with six turnovers, but the scoring remained top-notch. Mitchell has hunted out his shot throughout the Summer League. He knows he’s the Thunder’s best scorer. And after an NBA Finals appearance, beating a bunch of young players and bubble NBA talent in one-on-one looks must feel small in comparison.
The 23-year-old did most of his damage in the first half with 14 points. He drove to the basket and earned plenty of free-throw trips. That’s been a theme throughout the Summer League. When the Thunder needed points, they relied on their best scorer to do so.
Brooks Barnhizer: C
Being a defensive pest, Barnhizer beat up on Brooklyn’s young ball-handlers. To the point that Danny Wolf let his frustration get the better of him with a hard foul by hitting him across the face. The 23-year-old could have that impact on the opposition.
Barnhizer finished with six points on 2-of-11 shooting, seven rebounds and three assists. He shot 0-of-5 from 3 and went 2-of-6 on free throws. He also had six steals.
The shooting has been talked about ad nauseam. Barnhizer must be better to survive in the NBA. At the very least from the free-throw line. We’ll see if he can correct that on the Thunder. But you have to love what he brings in every other facet of basketball.
Barnhizer is a great rebounder for his size. The numbers have backed it up in the Summer League. The nonstop defense has also been as great as advertised. Six steals in 28 minutes is Caruso-esque. Plenty came from simple full-court presses, too.
Everything you heard about what Barnhizer did at Northwestern has shown itself at the Summer League level so far. He’s found ways to make up for his nonexistent shooting. The question will be how that looks at the next level in the NBA.
Chris Youngblood: A
Getting the quick postgame interview, the Thunder likely saw the social media criticism. Youngblood talked on national television, backed by his entire team. You didn’t see it much in Utah, but OKC got it right in its first Las Vegas game.
Youngblood finished with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting and five rebounds. He shot 3-of-5 from 3 and went 2-of-3 on free throws. He also had two steals.
So far in the Summer League, Youngblood has looked like the best undrafted rookie. He’s shot the ball well from the outside and showed a little bit more in this game. He received the start over Mady Sissoko. Easy to say he took advantage of it with an awesome scoring outing.
The Thunder have one two-way spot left next to Barnhizer and Branden Carlson. Youngblood could be a candidate. At the least, he’s earned himself a spot on the G League’s OKC Blue with his outside shot.
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