The two worst teams in the Western Conference delivered one of the wildest finishes you will ever see.
Down 110-107 with 4.5 seconds left, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received the ball and hit an awkward, nearly halfcourt 3-pointer to tie the game. The Oklahoma City crowd exploded, celebrating the kind of moment few and far between for the 8-19 Thunder this year.
The game was headed to overtime. All that was left for the Pelicans, who were out of timeouts, was to inbound the ball with 1.4 seconds left. Guard Devonte’ Graham was tasked with the final possession, then threw up a prayer.
Unfortunately for the Thunder, the bank still counted.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, Graham’s shot was the longest buzzer-beater in 25 years at 61 feet. It was also the first time in the last 25 seasons a game had seen multiple game-tying or go-ahead shots from at least 30 feet in the final five seconds.
Once raucously celebrating, the OKC crowd threw up more than a few surrender cobras as it watched Graham’s shot reach the net.
What preceded those five seconds of basketball surrealism was a 34-point performance from Brandon Ingram plus 19 points and 16 rebounds from Jonas Valuncianas to power the Pelicans. Gilgeous-Alexander also had another big game with 33 points and five rebounds.
Graham had 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting plus eight assists, but the last shot is all anyone’s going to remember.
