Adam Flagler Leads the Charge in OKC Thunder Win Over New Zealand Breakers

The two-way guard led OKC in scoring in the Thunder's third preseason game.

Oct 7, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Blake Wesley (14) holds on to the ball while defended by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Adam Flagler (14) during the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

As the buzzer hit zero seconds, the Oklahoma City Thunder walked away with a large-margin win over the New Zealand Breakers. With a final score of 117-89, OKC improved to 2-1 in the preseason.

Led by former Baylor Bear and current two-way guard Adam Flagler, OKC nailed 16 triples and shot 52.9% from the field. Flagler himself scored 25 points on 9-for-17 shooting from the field, drilling 50% of his threes on ten attempts and adding three rebounds and an assist.

The Breakers led 36-34 after the first period of the game, thanks to 12 points from four perimeter attempts from former Texas Tech guard Matt Mooney. Mooney finished with 19 points on 6-for-14 shooting.

A combination of scorers in the second quarter, including forward Ousmane Dieng, big man Malevy Leons and first round draft pick Dillon Jones, closened the small gap. Jones displayed his versatility in the quarter, showing off his rebounding, scoring and defensive tendencies to tie the game at 60-60 heading into the locker room.

Jones, the former Weber State forward, finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. He racked up four steals on the defensive side of the ball as well, as well as two blocks. Jones has been arguably OKC's best young player through these first three preseason matchups.

Thunder fans finally got a full showing from french forward Dieng, who finished the night with 20 points and 10 rebounds on 7-for-16 shooting. Breakers youngster Mojave King got hot in the third quarter, but a combination of Jones, Flagler and Cormac Ryan was too much to handle.

Dieng displayed his offensive versatility in the final period of the game, knocking down a three and getting to the basket multiple times. His triple with 5:21 to play gave the Thunder an unsurmountable 102-84 lead, surely putting the game away.

Even without their full-force roster, the Thunder managed their best three-point shooting performance of the seasonat 41%, while attempting the second most of the two games.

OKC only turned the ball over 10 times against the Breakers while forcing 14, but their opponent managed 21 points off those turnovers compared the Thunder's six. That is a statistical battle OKC has yet to win in the preseason and is an area to take notice in, potentially creating an area where they could earn some points back.

The Thunder continue their preseason journey at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 10 at Ball Arena against the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets sit at 0-2 currently in their preseaon start.

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