Jared McCain buried a 30-foot buzzer-beater over Max Strus to end the third quarter Friday night, but the Oklahoma City Thunder still fell to the Los Angeles Clippers 113-112 in NBA Cup play at Intuit Dome, as first reported by ClutchPoints.
The shot gave OKC an 84-81 lead heading into the fourth. McCain finished with 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from three, plus four rebounds and two assists. On the other side, Brook Lopez scored 26 and Darius Garland added 24 for L.A., per the Los Angeles Times.
It’s the Thunder’s third straight loss, dropping them to 8-5. The Clippers moved to 3-8.
The IAHHM Take
Carolina folks know this McCain. The former Duke guard has always had that smile-and-cook energy, and now he’s getting the minutes to show it. OKC traded for the 22-year-old from Philadelphia back in February, and with Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace out with major injuries and Ajay Mitchell nursing an ankle, he’s moved into the starting lineup.
He’s making it count. Over his last five games, McCain is averaging 18.8 points on 52.6% shooting and 45.6% from deep. Those aren’t fill-in numbers. Those are “you might have to keep me in the rotation when everybody’s healthy” numbers.
The bigger story is OKC’s depth getting tested in a way it hasn’t in years. Three straight losses won’t sink a team this good, but somebody has to carry the load until the stars return, and McCain is making his case. Between him and Cooper Flagg, the Duke pipeline is all over league highlights right now.
Is McCain a long-term starter in OKC, or a great bench scorer having a hot stretch? Let us know.
Source: ClutchPoints
