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oct 16 2026Aday Mara closed his preseason with 6 points, 9 rebounds and a block in the Oklahoma City Thunder's loss to the Houston Rockets (116-89). The Spanish center finishes the preparation period with 67 points in five games and will make his regular season debut Tuesday in San Antonio. In New York, the Knicks defeated the Raptors 122-120 with 20 points from Jalen Brunson and nearly a triple-double from Karl-Anthony Towns.
Aday Mara's Final Tune-Up
Aday Mara didn't repeat the strong nights from the preseason, but delivered a solid performance in the final game before the real action begins. In the Oklahoma City Thunder's loss in Houston (116-89), the Aragonese center played 21 minutes off the bench and finished with 6 points (3 of 4 from the field), 9 rebounds, 2 assists and a block. After halftime, Mark Daigneault experimented with a pair of centers featuring Mara and Isaiah Hartenstein, an option that could be repeated during the season. Mara closes the preseason with 67 points in five games, with his best performance being 22 points against the Bucks, and will make his regular season debut Tuesday, October 20 on the road against the San Antonio Spurs.
Also read:
- Aday Mara Makes Impressive Debut with Thunder Going 5 of 5
- NBA Preseason: Aday Mara, Haliburton and Lillard
- Oklahoma City Thunder Preview for 2026-27 NBA Season
Rockets Leave Thunder No Options
The game was hardly a dress rehearsal for the Houston Rockets, who played with their opening night starting lineup and came out strong. By the nine-minute mark they led 26-8, taking advantage of a five-minute scoreless stretch by the Thunder, and the first quarter ended 33-15. Oklahoma City's second unit responded with a 16-4 run in the second quarter and left halftime at 54-47, but in the second half Bogdan Bogdanovic found his shot (15 points in 16 minutes, game high) and the margin reached 29 points in the fourth quarter. Alperen Sengun added 14 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists, and Amen Thompson and Tari Eason scored 12 each; Kevin Durant finished with 11. The Thunder, without Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace, shot just 5 of 36 from three-point range. Jalen Williams (18 points and 7 rebounds) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (17) were the only ones in double figures.
Knicks Win Tight Finish
At Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks defeated the Toronto Raptors 122-120 in a game decided in the final minute. The Knicks led through the first three quarters (63-58 at halftime, 87-79 after three), but the Raptors won the fourth 35-41 with Collin Murray-Boyles in the starting lineup and Jaden Bradley tied it with a 2+1 play with one minute remaining. The Knicks pulled away again, Malachi Smith cut it to two with a three-pointer with 11 seconds left and the Raptors had one last chance after a traveling violation by the Knicks, but missed both their final shots.
Jalen Brunson scored 20 points and dished out 7 assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns fell just short of a triple-double with 13 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists in 29 minutes. Andre Drummond and Mikal Bridges added 14 each. For the Raptors, Scottie Barnes led all scorers with 23 points, 4 three-pointers and 4 blocks, and RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley scored 21 and 18 against their former team. Kawhi Leonard, in his second game with Toronto, finished with 6 points in 23 minutes, though he ended with a +8.
