THUNDER WIRE - 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.

“I think the big thing for us is trying to use every game to get a little bit better. We did that in Utah. We kinda made some progress,” Vegas SL coach Connor Johnson said. “Even the last game in Utah, we started playing a little bit faster and more aggressively. I think we saw that today.”

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 bluechip 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.

“It’s good to be back. It’s a fun experience to have. It’s something I think our organization takes the Summer League seriously to get our guys better and I’m really proud of it,” Johnson said. “I think for all the young guys, it’s a great experience to play in games that matter. The refs are on, the crowd’s there and the score’s going.”

Cooper Flagg and Bronny James

Cooper Flagg made his NBA Summer League debut, and it came with a bit of a twist.

The future face of the association went toe-to-toe with the current face’s son, Bronny James, and Flagg has the upper hand after their first bout.

Flagg struggled from the floor, scoring just 10 points on 5-for-21 shooting, with six of those points coming in a 90-second span in the first quarter. He grabbed six rebounds, handed out four assists, and had three steals, and a block in 32 minutes played. His first bucket, though, was a thunderous slam on a coast-tocoast.

Flagg admitted he was “a little nervous.” “I would say that might be one of the worst games in my life, but we got the win, that’s what really matters to me,” stated Flagg.

The two had several tough plays against one another and shared plenty of laughs on the court. James scored eight points to go along with two boards, and two assists.

The NBA’s all-time points leader’s son missed a potential game-winning three-pointer in the final seconds that gave Flagg and his Mavs an 87-85 victory.