The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered its second loss in six games on Friday night, succumbing to the Dallas Mavericks without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on hand.

A 106-98 defeat, OKC missed the scoring impact of Gilgeous-Alexander’s as nobody in the lineup reached 20 points, with Jalen Williams being the high scorer with 19 points on 22 shots. That couldn’t quite get the job done, even when winning the rebounding and turnover battles.

The Thunder now sets its focus on its upcoming opponent, the Brooklyn Nets. This could potentially be another night without Gilgeous-Alexander as he’s listed as a game-time decision before the team’s contest on Sunday evening.

But beyond that, a slew of impactful players for both teams will be sitting on the bench due to injury. For the Nets, it’s Cameron Johnson, Cam Thomas and Bojan Bogdanovic, among others. Johnson is the only player listed as questionable for Sunday night’s bout.

On Oklahoma City’s side, Isaiah Hartenstein still remains on the sideline with a calf strain, Chet Holmgren is yet to return from his hip fracture, and Ajay Mitchell’s toe injury has him out for the foreseeable months. All the while, Gilgeous-Alexander could possibly be coaching from the bench as well.

Though, this is a Brooklyn team who doesn’t frighten the Thunder. A 14-28 team, Oklahoma City will look to come inside Paycom Center with an edge as the team looks to recoup from its loss to Dallas just a couple nights prior. The Thunder has lost two consecutive games just once this season, and should be refined heading into Sunday to not make it happen twice.

Williams will have to take the scoring reigns and prove to be more efficient offensively in Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence. Working without three of his right hand men, this is where Williams can separate himself and showcase his ability to win a game as the primary point of leadership on Sunday night.

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A man being held at the Oklahoma County Detention Center died Saturday evening after being found unresponsive during routine sight checks, authorities said.

Vincent Riggie, 37, was discovered around 7:10 p.m., according to jail officials. An officer called for medical assistance and began administering lifesaving measures, including Narcan.

Emergency responders from EMSA and the Oklahoma City Fire Department arrived shortly after and continued efforts to revive Riggie. However, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Riggie, who was born Oct. 2, 1987, had been booked into the jail on Nov. 4, 2024, on charges of aggravated trafficking of illegal drugs and possession of a controlled substance. He was being held on a $50,000 bond.

The circumstances surrounding Riggie’s death are under investigation. As per standard protocol, all in-custody deaths are investigated as homicides until the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s Office determines the official cause and manner of death.

Riggie’s family has been notified.

#2 South Carolina and #13 Oklahoma meet for the first time as conference rivals on Sunday. Find out how to watch and what to watch for.

1. When in doubt, Joyce Edwards
Every game seems to be another milestone in Joyce Edwards’s development., and she continues to get better an better. The latest milestone was scoring 11 of her career-high 21 points in the fourth quarter to help turn a four-point lead into an 18-point win.

Edwards has said that she understood her biggest adjustment in college would be the physicality. But knowing that and experiencing it are two different things.

“I feel like that was my biggest adjustment, actually,” Edwards said. “Just playing for the Gamecocks, with the Highlighters, helped me improve that. They’re physical. My teammates are physical as well, so I get it every day in practice. Coming out in the game, you just get better every day and eventually you get used to it.”

Now she is posting up, drawing fouls, and finishing through contact. Since SEC play began, Edwards has emerged as one of the Gamecocks’ go-to players when they need a bucket.

Edwards is still improving, which makes the future even more exciting. She can be a better rebounder. She has three-point range, but Edwards’ jump shot isn’t consistent enough yet to balance her driving ability. The future is very bright.

[Win tickets: South Carolina-LSU WBB]

2. Handling Beers
Oklahoma made a splash in the offseason when the Sooners brought in transfer Raegan Beers, one of the top available players in the portal. 

Coach Jennie Baranczyk knew that to compete in the SEC she would need a post presence to supplement her guard-oriented, fast-paced style. Enter the 6-4 Beers, who leads the Sooners with 16.5 points and 8.8 rebounds this season.

South Carolina has played Beers before. Last season Beers put up 16 points and 8 rebounds for Oregon State in a 70-58 loss to South Carolina in the Elite Eight in Albany

Kamilla Cardoso guarded Beers for most of that game, with Sania Feagin picking up the rest. Feagin struggled in that game, but she has gotten better as a defender since then. The Gamecocks didn’t double much, but when they did they were effective.

Beers is a little bit like Iowa State’s Audi Crooks. She isn’t super athletic and doesn’t move especially well, but once she gets the ball in the low post her footwork and shooting touch are elite. (“She’s a pretty big woman,” Edwards deadpanned.)

Earlier this season, South Carolina defended Crooks by fronting her and not letting her get the ball in position to make a play. It was extremely effective, but largely because of Ashlyn Watkins. South Carolina will still try to deny Beers the ball in her spots, but it will look different without Watkins.

“We’ve got to do a lot of our work early,” Edwards said. “Be physical without fouling.”

Don’t be surprised if Staley uses Adhel Tac or Sakima Walker, who are both 6-6, to put some size on Beers. She’ll also try to make Beers play defense and hopefully get in foul trouble.

3. Tessa Time?
Someone on the message board (sorry, I don’t remember who) observed that every time we start to worry that a player has had a couple of quiet games, she responds with a big one. Using that logic, Tessa Johnson is due for a breakout. 

Johnson began SEC play with three consecutive double-figure games, including a career-high 22 at Mississippi State. But in the last two games, she has just nine points total on 3-7 shooting.

Johnson tends to let the game come to her, which has led to few shot attempts. She might need to be more assertive because she’s too good a scorer not to shoot more.

(Coincidentally, while writing this I’m watching the Oregon State game from last season to see how the Gamecocks guarded Beers. Johnson scored a team-high 15 in that game, including a clutch three-point play that basically won the game. More of that, Tessa.)

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4. Availability report
The first availability report for Sunday’s game comes out a little after 8:00pm ET on Saturday.

South Carolina’s availability report for its last game was as clean as it will be for the rest of the season. Only Ahlyn Watkins was listed.

Beers was the only player listed for Oklahoma. She was a Game Time Decision. That decision was for Beers to start and play her normal minutes. 

5. Scouting the Sooners
Beers has her own section, but Oklahoma’s veteran guards have been the heart of the team going back to the Big 12. 

Skylar Vann was the Big 12 Co-Player of the Year last season, although her numbers have dropped to 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds this season. Sahara Williams (10.1 points) was honorable mention All-Big 12 last season.

But the Sooners’ best player might be point guard Payton Verhulst. She was first-team All-Big 12 last season and is better this season, averaging 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. Verhulst is also coming in off a career-high 38 points against Missouri on Thursday.

“I say that they’re relentless,” Staley said. “I say that they go end-to-end very quickly and get quick shots up, and that’s hard. They all can score the basketball, and they got a point guard that facilitates and runs their team. It’s got high IQ. When you have the head of the snake with teams like that, they’re just hard to beat with all the talent that they have.”

Even with Beers slowing the tempo slightly, Oklahoma still scores 88.1 points per game, fourth in the country, and attempts 26.2 threes (tied for 20th in the nation), hitting 33.1% for 8.7 per game. 

The Ws
Who: #2 South Carolina (17-1, 5-0) vs #13 Oklahoma (15-3, 3-2)
When: 3:00 ET, Sunday, January 19
Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, SC
Watch: ESPN