Ousmane Dieng’s Buzzer-Beater Caps Thunder’s Comeback Victory

OKLAHOMA CITY – Ousmane Dieng hit a 26-foot three-pointer at the buzzer Friday night, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a thrilling 94-91 comeback victory over the Denver Nuggets in their preseason finale. The win capped a dramatic rally from a 16-point deficit at Paycom Center.

Dieng finished the game as the high scorer with 17 points, highlighted by his clutch game-winner. “It was just improvisation,” Dieng said of his last-second shot. “It was fun. They poured water on me. Especially J-Will. It was cool. We’re all family. We all joke around. It was great.”

The Thunder ended the preseason with a record of 4-2, heading into their regular-season opener against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday at home, with tipoff at 6:30 p.m.

In the game, Oklahoma City started with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Alex Caruso. Caruso, however, had to leave early due to injury. Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, contributed 12 points and five assists in the first half before sitting out the second half.

The Nuggets rested main stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, allowing newcomers Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown, and Jonas Valanciunas to shine. Despite their absence, Denver was effective early, leading 59-46 at halftime, with Hardaway Jr. being a standout performer.

The Thunder fell behind early, trailing 75-66 at the end of the third quarter. However, they charged back with a phenomenal fourth-quarter performance, scoring 28 points. Coach Mark Daigneault praised his team’s persistence, saying, “We just were persistent, which is what you have to do in a 48-minute game.”

With the clock winding down and the score tied at 91, the Nuggets attempted multiple shots to regain the lead. Their inability to capitalize provided Dieng with the opportunity for his game-winning shot, sending the Oklahoma City crowd into a frenzy.

The Thunder shot 41% from the field and made 28.3% of their three-point attempts, while the Nuggets shot 37% overall. Despite their struggles, both teams displayed talent and resilience, hinting at competitive seasons ahead.

“It was valuable for us in a lot of ways to see guys in different roles and also see guys we haven’t seen much or at all,” Daigneault said about the preseason challenges. “They’re in a better spot now than when we started training camp.”