The Oklahoma City Thunder tried to steal it late, but winning in Atlanta was too tough for the young team.
The Thunder lost to the Hawks 141-138 on the second night of a back-to-back. After beating the league-leading Boston Celtics on Tuesday and arriving in Atlanta in the early hours of the morning, the schedule caught up to them.
The OKC Thunder nearly stole a back-to-back in Atlanta.
The Thunder entered the fourth quarter, still trailing by 13. While they had trailed by as much as 21 early, the Thunder battled back and gave themselves a chance.
The Thunder’s schedule seemed to hit them hard early in the game. They came out flat and quickly saw their deficit rise.
After cutting the Hawks’ lead to single digits multiple times in the second half, the Thunder found themselves down 16 as the clock hit three minutes. Lu Dort’s three, followed by some easy buckets in transition, helped the Thunder make a furious comeback.
After Bogdan Bogdanovic’s miss in the final seconds, Oklahoma City had a shot to tie the game. Down by three, Jalen Williams found Isaiah Joe for an open 3-pointer. Joe’s three went in and out as the buzzer sounded to seal the loss.
The game in Atlanta tipped off a four-game road trip that continues in Brooklyn on Friday.