OKC Thunder 'incredibly happy' for Nikola Topic after loss to Suns

Apr 12, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topic (44) goes up for a basket beside Phoenix Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea (17) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Going full speed, Nikola Topic ran the full floor to get things going in the second half. His pass-fake fooled Khaman Maluach enough for him to go right at the basket. He muscled his way through the Phoenix rookie contest for the running layup. Talk about finesse as the 20-year-old showed off his potential again.

The Oklahoma City Thunder finished their 2025-26 regular season with a 135-103 loss to the Phoenix Suns. With both teams stuck at their seeding position, nothing was at stake in this finale.

Topic finished with 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting, 14 assists and four rebounds. He shot 2-of-5 from 3 and went 0-of-3 on free throws.

If you stomached through this whole game, Topic at least salvaged some of your time. Receiving another start, he showed why he was a lottery pick just two years ago. The Thunder ran their offense through him. Mostly out of both necessity and experimentation. He showed out as the primary ball-handler.

Bulldozing his way through Phoenix defenders, Topic showed his downhill ability. The 20-year-old attacked the paint with a full head of steam. There were no signs of hesitation or overthinking when the ball was in his hands. He had some difficult finishes that made your eyes pop out in excitement. He also showed off his range once again. A couple of outside jumpers displayed how fearless he is to let it fly — even if there's someone on his grill.

And then there's the playmaking. Oh, boy. Topic set an OKC rookie record for most assists in a single game. Familiar with his OKC Blue teammates, he orchestrated their offense. Whether it was dump-off passes near the rim or throwing up alley-oops or spraying it out to the perimeter. He got into a flow as their offensive engine. Mix that with some daring passes, and you heard plenty of folks audibly 'ooh' and 'aah' at his highlight reel.

Honestly, it was dope to see Topic play like this. He logged back-to-back point-assist double-doubles to finish his rookie season. Whenever the Thunder are asked about his journey and resilience, they gush nonstop. Hard to blame them, either. He was just going through chemotherapy five months ago. Now, he's playing entire NBA games. Still a feel-good story, the 20-year-old has also graduated into having real potential.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault continued to be impressed with Topic's play. He might not have a role in the NBA playoffs, but his long-term future in the league remains bright. There's a reason why he was talked about as a possible top-five pick in the 2024 NBA draft before being sidelined by injury.

"His career started with an ACL rehab. His season started with a cancer diagnosis. Midseason, he was in chemo and he played 38 minutes in Denver and 39 tonight, which is a helluva accomplishment for him, so I'm incredibly happy for him," Daigneault said about Topic. "Couldn't be more impressed with his resilience, mental toughness, maturity, team orientation. All the intangibles you'd ever want in a guy. I think the last couple of games showed that while he's really inexperienced, obviously, he's really talented and can really play. That's not lost on us either."

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: OKC Thunder 'incredibly happy' for Nikola Topic after loss to Suns