​Everyone sweats a little in the brutal Las Vegas heat, even the Los Angeles Lakers, who appeared poised for a comfortable start to NBA Summer League play in Sin City on Friday. Yet the Oklahoma City Thunder heated things up late, erasing a 20-point gap and narrowing the margin to nine with 2:23 left. Bennett Stirtz was the spark, scoring eight points in the fourth quarter to keep the Thunder close and threatening.
Los Angeles endured the pressure and finally prevailed, securing a 96-84 victory, largely thanks to Adou Thiero, who filled the stat sheet with 20 points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks. The Thunder fall to 0-4 in Summer League action, including their time in Salt Lake City. Their next game is against the Golden State Warriors at 5 p.m. CT Sunday on Prime Video. Here are three takeaways from the loss:
First, Stirtz had a momentary lapse late in the second quarter when a ball was poked away from him, and he turned to pinpoint the culprit only to realize it was already too late to recover. The miscue, however, was overshadowed by Thiero’s late surge, which began with a windmill dunk that electrified the crowd and coincided with Stirtz’s fourth turnover of the night.
Second, Thiero was relentless from start to finish. He pushed the pace, finished at the rim, and caused all kinds of issues for the Lakers’ defense. His performance extended beyond the scoring column as he disrupted plays with timely steals and strong help defense, keeping the Thunder within striking distance as the game wore on.
Third, Stirtz’s role as a primary ball-handler has been a focal point for Oklahoma City this summer, especially with Nikola Topić sidelined by injury. In last season’s college campaign at Iowa, Stirtz averaged 4.4 assists to 1.8 turnovers, yielding an assist-to-turnover ratio of about 2.4. Through three Summer League games, that ratio has dipped to exactly one, with seven assists and seven turnovers. The slippage signals the need for the game to slow down for the rookie guard, a natural adjustment as he assumes heavier playmaking duties. Yet progress was visible on Friday, as he didn’t commit a turnover in the second half and showed improved confidence as a creator for both himself and his teammates. He finished with 18 points, two assists, one steal, and one block on 7-for-14 shooting from the floor (3-for-8 from three) in 28 minutes.
Stirtz remained candid about his approach, saying there were no drastic adjustments—he simply kept shooting. “There were not really any adjustments,” he explained. “I just kept shooting. Even though the shots weren’t falling, I’m going to keep shooting it because that’s the type of shooter I am. Luckily, they went in later in the game.” The late-game surge from Thiero and the steady effort from Stirtz offered a glimmer of optimism for OKC as they carry this challenging stretch through the Summer League schedule, with more opportunities to refine their rhythm and decision-making as the competition continues.