Player grades: Thunder have exciting finish in 106-103 Summer League loss to Nuggets

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Down three points with 13 seconds left, Bennett Stirtz quickly went up for the top-of-the-key outside jumper. Clank. It hit the front of the rim. With the ball ricocheting back for a second-chance look, Payton Sandfort's sizzling streak snapped as his outside jumper also fell short at the buzzer.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder fell in a 106-103 Summer League loss to the Denver Nuggets. Even at this level, you're guaranteed a banger of a game between these two foes. Still winless in the July extravaganza, it was the most entertaining of the bunch.

The Thunder and Nuggets continued the tradition of most of their game scripts over the last year — all buckets, no defense, fast-paced. Now with a handful of games under his belt, Aday Mara started to play like the Michigan version of himself that helped him end up in the lottery range.

On the other end, it looks like the Nuggets unearthed a second-round gem. Trevon Brazile put up points in a flurry. He showed some flash as he threw down a windmill dunk in transition. He reached double-digit points in a blink of an eye. The Thunder were in a 31-22 deficit after the first quarter.

Eventually, the Thunder fell behind by as many as 13 points. It looked like Denver's fast pace was too much for OKC to keep up with. That said, it didn't really matter. Mara kept trying creative passes. He turned into an offensive hub. Finally, we saw what his ideal role would look like at the NBA level.

The offense rolled along for the Thunder. They scored 29 points in the second frame. Syracuse legend Jim Boeheim gushed over their culture as his son Buddy has been in OKC for a couple of years now. That said, they were in a 60-51 deficit at halftime. Brazile banked in a deep 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left that had broadcaster Jeremy Lin utter Derek Fisher's name.

Coming out of the break, though, the Thunder played rejuvenated. It didn't take long to make this an interesting game. Nate Johnson had a couple of steals to make it a 64-62 contest with five minutes to go in the third frame. Basically a brand-new ball game. OKC had to catch its breath at first, but adjusted to Denver's NASCAR-esque fast tempo.

The Thunder scored 20 points in the third quarter. They entered the final frame in a 78-71 deficit. But it didn't take long to erase that. They rattled off eight consecutive points. Mara and Stirtz connected on a couple of alley-oops to begin the fourth quarter. That made it a 78-77 deficit with over eight minutes to go.

Alas, anytime it felt like OKC was about to finally get over the hump, Denver responded with a timely run. Brazile looked like prime Caleb Wilson out there with his scoring. It didn't take long for the Nuggets to balloon their lead back to double-digit points and stiff-arm the Thunder on the scoreboard.

After Brazile knocked down another outside jumper, the Thunder were in a 95-83 hole with three and a half minutes to go. A timeout ensued. OKC needed everything to go right and nothing to go wrong the rest of the way if it wanted a chance at a comeback.

Leaning into a small-ball lineup, that's exactly what happened. Stirtz attacked the basket. He showed off his driving ability by slicing through Denver's nonexistent defense. And then Sandfort got on a heater. Right at the perfect time, too. Before that, he missed a batch of outside shots.

Down 99-90 with less than two minutes, the Thunder went on a 10-3 run in just 42 seconds. The Nuggets collapsed under any signs of ball pressure. To the point that they couldn't make simple inbound passes. OKC amped up the pressure by going full-court. That helped generate turnovers as Denver didn't have a ball-handler who could bring it past the halfcourt line.

After Stirtz's outside jumper made it a 102-100 game with 61 seconds left, Josh Dix couldn't put OKC ahead on its next possession with a decent outside look. That's where the Nuggets breathed a sigh of relief. Eventually, though, the Thunder got it to within one point thanks to Sandfort's clutch outside jumper — the closest it's been in a minute.

After Bryce Hopkins — another Denver second-round pick that's been awesome — rebounded his miss for a second-chance layup, the Thunder had 13 seconds to extend this Summer League thriller into overtime. They had two good shots at it with Stirtz and Sandfort. Both missed on scramble plays. No dice. Welp. OKC finished strong with 32 points in the final frame. But finished just shy.

The Thunder shot 53% from the field and went 8-of-30 (26.7%) from 3. They shot 10-of-14 on free throws. They had 25 assists on 39 baskets. Six Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Mara showed out with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists. So did Stirtz with 22 points and six assists. Sandfort tallied 19 points and three rebounds. Dix had 14 points and six rebounds. Brooks Barnhizer totaled 12 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Buddy Boeheim scored 10 points.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets shot 45% from the field and went 15-of-37 (40.5%) from 3. They shot 12-of-14 on free throws. They had 18 assists on 35 baskets. Four Nuggets players scored double-digit points.

Brazile went off for 32 points and six rebounds. He had six outside makes. Hopkins tallied 14 points and seven rebounds. Erik Stevenson finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. Osayi Osifo had 11 points off the bench.

Well, as far as Summer League games go, this was on the exciting side of the spectrum. You got what you wanted if you're OKC. With Sam Presti and Clay Bennett in attendance among the dwindling Las Vegas crowd, the Thunder showed their most fight yet in their first competitive game out of six tries. Not just that, but Mara and Stirtz looked like borderline lottery picks.

All you can really ask for at this stage of the July event. Mara and Stirtz have looked more and more comfortable with each passing game. If this is it for both of them, they finish Summer League on a strong note. Also nice to see the Thunder produce a functional offense. Guys were making the right reads and moving off-ball well. This group is starting to jell together.

Let's look at Thunder player grades:

Aday Mara: A-plus

Backing up Giovanni Emejuru on the block, Mara went to work in the post. It took him a couple of dribbles to decide on his move. He went with the turnaround hook shot that rainbow'd through the hoop. The baseline bucket showed just how much more confident and comfortable he's gotten in Summer League.

Mara finished with 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting, seven rebounds and six assists. He shot 1-of-5 on free throws.

Finally, we're seeing flashes of Mara's ceiling. If this is it for him for Summer League, he exited the stage with a banger. The 21-year-old showed you what he could do at the next stage if everything goes right. The last two weeks have worked toward an outing like this where he finally looked like a lottery talent.

As a wrinkle in OKC's offense, Mara's playmaking was on full display. No longer just on a couple of possessions a game. The Thunder wanted to see how far his passing could take them. Let's just say, the results had most folks smiling from ear to ear. Operating at the perimeter, he darted tight-window passes to his cutting teammates for layups.

With each connection, Mara gained confidence. To the point that the offensive hub tried some daring over-the-head passes when he was in the post. Another time, he went with the between-the-legs pass to a movement shooter. His playmaking is probably his best secondary skill. And you saw why most think he can eventually replace Isaiah Hartenstein in that department.

Helping the Thunder mount a comeback, Stirtz and Mara spammed their pick-and-roll magic. It's an action OKC fans have craved since the Summer League roster was rolled out. And after barely using it, they fully leaned into it here. A couple of alley-oops showed its potential. The 7-foot-3 center finally utilized his size as he also had a putback layup.

Just a great game by Mara. For most of the Summer League, you'd have had to squint your eye and tilt your head to see the vision. Not this game, though. The naked eye itself showcased just how much he can change the dimensions on both sides of the floor for OKC if he materializes his best-case scenario.

Bennett Stirtz: A-plus

Pulling up from deep on the right-wing outside jumper, Stirtz swished in the deep look. He made it a two-point contest with a minute to go. He ensured we'd be guaranteed a thrilling finish in this one. The 22-year-old had his best Summer League showing yet. The Thunder saw both top picks show out.

Stirtz finished with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting, six assists and two rebounds. He shot 2-of-8 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had one steal and one block.

Much like Mara, the last couple of games have led up to this explosion. Stirtz has slowly felt more comfortable at the Summer League level. Each game, his production incrementally improved. Now, you can't deny just how much power his scoring game can be at the NBA level. After all, that landed him as a top-16 pick — just three years after being at the D-II level.

The outside jumper didn't fall — even though you liked the volume and range — so Stirtz relied on other ways to put up points. He put his head down and drove to the rim. He relied on finesse to get by groups of Denver defenders in the paint. Utilizing angles and both hands, he showed he can do more than just shoot the ball.

Elsewhere, Stirtz has finally cracked the code in playing with Mara. The two had a little give-and-go action in the first half that reminded OKC fans of Hartenstein and Isaiah Joe. As the Thunder got back into this, they connected on a couple of old-school alley-oop plays in the final frame. Finally, their pick-and-roll game was prominently featured. As the Krusty Krab customers once said — that's what we've been waiting for.

As the game progressed, Stirtz played better. He had 13 points in the second half. He hit a couple of clutch-time buckets late. Even though he missed a potential game-tying jumper at the end of regulation, you love the courage to go for it. Really great game by him. He flexed his ball-handling creation as both a scorer and playmaker.

Payton Sandfort: A

Knocking down a couple of outside jumpers from the corner, Sandfort showed he had both a short-term memory and ice in his veins. After it looked like the 24-year-old would drop a rare egg of a Summer League performance, his microwave scoring completely flipped the narrative.

Sandfort finished with 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting, three rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-8 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws. He also had one block.

This is why you can't properly judge an entire game before the final buzzer sounds. Even if things look ugly. For most of the night, Sandfort couldn't find his jumper. He wasn't afraid to let it fly, but the shot just didn't fall. On the verge of chalking this up as just an off-night, he helped the Thunder almost pull off an insane comeback.

Under three minutes to go, Sandfort knocked down a highly contested and-one jumper. That psyched him up. That was enough to go on a scoring barrage. He put up nine points in the fourth quarter alone. Even though he missed a possible game-tying shot in the final seconds, you can't be too critical of him. He completely flipped his performance in this one.

Really great game by Sandfort. He salvaged it within the flow of things. When his outside shots weren't falling, he helped out with timely cuts to the basket. A bundle of driving layups shows that perhaps he can do more than just be a stationary outside shooter. He's been superb in the Summer League. Will be interesting to see if he gains a two-way deal afterward.

Josh Dix: B-plus

Reading the defense, Dix went with the off-ball cut. Barnhizer found him for a driving layup. If you're on the Thunder's Summer League roster and known as just an outside shooter, this was the game to show you had more in your bag. The 22-year-old was somebody else who reached double-digit points.

Dix finished with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, three rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-7 from 3 and 1-of-1 on free throws. He also had one block.

When the Thunder added Dix to a two-way spot, his main selling point was his outside shot. For one reason or another, that just hasn't fallen in the Summer League. That's resulted in him taking too few attempts to really leave a mark in most of these contests. You don't want to see one of your three two-way players just kinda be out there.

Instead of being idle, Dix made his own offense. He joined in on OKC's ball movement with a few assisted driving layups. He even made a floater inside of the paint. He missed a chance to hit the go-ahead outside jumper, but you can't get too wrapped up in the results of a possession. He made a quality look that he just simply missed.

Glad to see Dix add some diversity to his scoring game. It helped him turn in one of his best Summer League games yet. Even though he's secured a two-way deal, he surely has heard the chatter about how much better Sandfort has been in this setting. In the NBA, you gotta produce quickly and often. Or else risk losing your spot.

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This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder have exciting finish in 106-103 Summer League loss to Nuggets

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