Aday Mara, Bennett Stirtz keep building chemistry despite Thunder losses in Summer League

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The OKC Thunder can’t seem to find any rhythm in NBA Summer League.

A 104-79 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday dropped OKC to 0-5 across its Summer League stops in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

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The Thunder put themselves behind the eight ball almost immediately. Early turnovers fueled Golden State's transition attack, and offensive rebounds created a steady stream of second-chance 3-pointers. Before OKC could settle into the game, it was already staring at a double-digit deficit by the end of the first quarter.

There was little response from there.

The Warriors controlled the game the rest of the way, cruising to one of their most lopsided victories of the summer while handing the Thunder another defeat.

Next up for OKC will be a game against the Denver Nuggets at 8 p.m. CT Tuesday (ESPN).

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

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Aday Mara, Yaxel Lendeborg reunite as opponents after Michigan title run

Aday Mara had no intention of letting his former teammate end the half with a highlight.

As the final seconds ticked away before halftime, Mara sprinted back on defense after seeing former Michigan teammate Yaxel Lendeborg pushing the ball in transition. Lendeborg looked to throw a lob to a streaking teammate, but Mara's 7-foot-3 frame got in the way, tipping the pass as the buzzer sounded.

The two immediately exchanged words before Mara playfully patted Lendeborg on the backside.

He later laughed about the moment during his halftime interview with Amazon Prime.

“I said, ‘I hate you, man,’ because I’m so tired of him," Lendeborg said. "It’s still fun being out there with him. He used to kick my behind in practice all the time, so getting that 3 off on him, I was super happy about it."

The former NCAA championship teammates each turned in productive performances in their first meeting as professionals.

Lendeborg finished with 14 points, four assists and three steals while knocking down four 3-pointers for Golden State. Mara countered with 10 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a block for the Thunder.

Lendeborg said he, Mara and former Michigan teammate — now Dallas Mavericks big man Morez Johnson — had plans to grab dinner together after the game.

"We manifested this all year," Lendeborg said. "It's like a dream of ours seeing each other play at the highest level. Aday is just getting started with his team, Morez same thing. I think we have our first team dinner today, so I’m very excited to see them and talk about what’s going on in our lives now.”

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Bennett Stirtz, Aday Mara continue building chemistry in the pick-and-roll

Bennett Stirtz has consistently been one of the Thunder's biggest bright spots this summer.

The No. 16 overall pick finished with 13 points and two assists in 26 minutes Sunday.

Much of his offense came while working alongside Mara, who repeatedly freed Stirtz with hard screens, opening driving lanes and creating clean looks from the midrange and at the rim.

It's an encouraging glimpse of what Mara could eventually provide as a screener alongside primary ball handlers such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.

For now, the rookie duo is focused on developing chemistry with each game. Mara believes that process is already beginning to show.

"The first couple of games, we practiced for just four days before that, so it's hard to know each other on the court without practicing," Mara said. "Now we've done film, practiced and played a couple of games, so it's way easier to play together. It's been great. It's just about time and practicing."

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Thunder's rebounding woes continue in Summer League loss

Turnovers weren't the Thunder's only problem Sunday.

OKC was thoroughly beaten on the glass, getting outrebounded 46-25 by Golden State. It marked the fourth time in five Summer League games the Thunder lost the rebounding battle and the third time they were outrebounded by at least 18.

Mara still made a strong impact on the boards. After grabbing just three rebounds in his Summer League debut against Memphis, Mara pulled down nine against the Warriors while anchoring the paint.

Mara believes the growing pains will ultimately benefit the Thunder's young roster.

"Keep getting better," Mara said when asked what coaches told the team after Sunday's loss.

"I think we're doing great. We're getting better every game. Honestly, losing by those 20s and 40s — no one wants that — but I think we're doing a good job of getting better, and today was that."

Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @thejordancdavis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Aday Mara, Bennett Stirtz keep building chemistry despite Thunder losses in Summer League

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