1 Good, 1 bad, and 1 ugly takeaway from crushing Thunder loss to Spurs

Following a tough loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night, the OKC Thunder had what seemed to be an easy get-right game right on the horizon against an injury-riddled San Antonio Spurs team.

Instead, however, what many expected to be a tune-up outing ended up being a trap.

Things seemed out of place early in the game, with Oklahoma City finding themselves down at the half and not hitting any of their long balls. Then, in the fourth, the team managed to partake in a semi-comeback, but it was not enough in the end, losing 110-104, dropping them to 11-4 on the season.

The good, bad, and ugly from crushing Thunder loss to Spurs. 

Good: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

To no one's surprise, one of the game's prominent MVP frontrunners, best scorers, and top-tier two-way guards in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would not slow down for even a minute in the loss, being practically the only good part of the night for the Thunder.

The 26-year-old would finish this night with another insane stat line, putting up 32 points,7 assists, and 3 steals on 55.0 percent shooting from the floor and 62.5 percent shooting from deep.

San Antonio could not find an answer to stop him defensively, so, instead, they focused on offense and just tried to outscore the OKC star.

SGA even had of of his best three-point shooting games, going 5-for-8 from long range, which is a nice sight to see for Thunder fans. 

He would also shoot six of the team's seven free throws, knocking down all but one. 

Amid the turmoil, it was still evident that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues his case for MVP, even in a loss like this. 

Bad: Alex Caruso on Offense

Let this be clear, Alex Caruso played well on the defensive end in his first game back following a three-game hiatus, but could not do much for the squad offensively. 

The veteran defensive stopper struggled once again with his shot, going 1-for-7 and finishing with only 2 points scored. He would also attempt five triples, all of which were missed.

In every other aspect, he played well, and was a key reason the game was close to begin with. 

He would cause some much-needed stops against guys like Keldon Johnson and Chris Paul, even forcing turnovers, racking up 5 stocks in the matchup. 

You can be great defensively, but it does not matter if your stops don't translate to points on the other end. 

Ugly: Luguentz Dort

Tuesday night may have legitimately been the worst game in Lu Dorts career.

Known for being a long-range threat, the veteran couldn't buy a bucket from beyond the arc, going 2-of-8 from deep in the contest against the Spurs. 

Yes, he made a clutch triple late in the fourth to keep hopes alive to halt ongoing momentum from San Antonio and cut their deficit to six with under a minute left, but it doesn't do much considering he missed a total of 10 shots on the night. 

Another problem he had was the turnovers and clumsiness when taking the ball up the court, as the offense looked like it could not be initiated when he was the one acting as the primary ball handler. 

His rebounding was solid, actually leading the team with 12 boards, but this was the lone brightspot on an otherwise gloomy performance. 

From his poor shooting to his surprisingly lackluster defensive efforts, it was an ugly game for Dort and, frankly, the Thunder as a whole.

Oklahoma City is in dire need of a bounce-back win against Portland on Wednesday to regain some confidence heading into their long, five-day break without any games.