The OKC Blue continued their struggle in a 93-76 loss to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Tuesday. The home defeat dropped their record to 0-3 in the 2026-27 G League regular season.
On a field trip day, the Blue fell behind from the jump. They were in a 27-17 deficit after the first quarter. Even though Nikola Topic manned the offense as an NBA-talented playmaker, they still struggled to generate quality looks. They only had 22 points in the second frame. That put OKC in a 56-39 deficit at halftime.
Once again, Topic didn't play in the second half. This is likely part of his ramp-up plan as he recovers from offseason back surgery. It was much the same story. The Blue scored 21 points in the third frame. At that juncture, OKC was in a 75-60 hole.
There were brief sparks by the Blue. Where the undermanned team got it within comeback range. Nothing serious, though. They were down double-digit points for most of the afternoon. They scored a measly 16 points in the final frame and trailed by as many as 21 points. Not even the one-third-filled crowd of school children could provide a necessary energy boost.
The Blue shot 39% from the field and went 6-of-32 (18.8%) from 3. They shot 1-of-6 on free throws. They had 15 assists on 34 baskets. Two Blue players scored double-digit points.
Meanwhile, the Vipers shot 41% from the field and went 5-of-35 (14.3%) from 3. They shot 8-of-12 on free throws. They had 28 assists on 37 baskets. Four Vipers players scored double-digit points.
Here are some notable individual performances from both sides:
- Nikola Topic: eight points on 4-of-6 shooting, two assists
- Robert McCray V: 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting, 2-of-8 from 3, six rebounds, five assists, 10 turnovers
- Anthony Pritchard: 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting, four rebounds
- Julian Phillips: 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting, 0-of-4 from 3, 4-of-4 on free throws, four rebounds
- Tyler Smith: 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting, 3-of-7 from 3, 10 rebounds, five steals
- Omer Yurtseven: 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, eight rebounds
The full highlights of the Blue's 17-point to the Houston Rockets' G League affiliate can be watched below:
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Recap: Nikola Topic, OKC Blue fall in 93-76 loss to Rio Grande Valley Vipers
