Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Scores 20 points off bench
Rotowire
Stirtz posted 20 points (6-11 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 4-6 FT), five rebounds, two assists and a steal across 22 minutes off the bench in Wednesday's 128-126 preseason loss to the Bucks.
Stirtz capitalized on extended second-half opportunities and delivered another impressive showing, posting 15 points in 31 minutes in the preseason opener against the Pelicans on Tuesday. His shooting was particularly encouraging, although his minus-20 rating reflected the struggles of Oklahoma City's reserve-heavy lineup. Stirtz will need to build on these performances to earn consistent regular-season minutes in a competitive backcourt, but his first two preseason outings are certainly encouraging.
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Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Back to bench
Rotowire
Stirtz won't start Wednesday's preseason game against the Bucks, Brandon Rahbar of DailyThunder.com reports.
With the Thunder resting most of their key players, Stirtz played a team-high 31 minutes in Tuesday's preseason loss to the Pelicans, scoring a game-high 15 points (6-9 FG, 3-6 3Pt) and adding six assists and five rebounds. However, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace back in action, the rookie will return to a reserve role.
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Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Paces OKC during Tuesday's loss
Rotowire
Stirtz played a team-high 31 minutes in Tuesday's preseason loss to the Pelicans, scoring a game-high 15 points (6-9 FG, 3-6 3Pt) and adding six assists and five rebounds.
The Thunder rested many of their key rotation players Tuesday, allowing Stritz to handle a big workload as part of the starting backcourt. The 16th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft won't be seeing that sort of role once the games begin to count, but he's getting a chance to show OKC that he can contribute if given a chance.
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Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Starting Tuesday
Rotowire
Stirtz will start in Tuesday's preseason game against the Pelicans, Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman reports.
Stirtz is getting the start with Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso all sitting out Tuesday's exhibition. Stirtz played well for the Thunder at Summer League, so it'll be interesting to see what he can do against tougher competition in the preseason.
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Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: To miss final two games
Rotowire
Stirtz will miss the final two Summer League games, Rylan Stiles of SI.com reports.
The No. 16 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Stirtz is not dealing with an injury, but the Thunder are happy with the amount of reps he's received. Through five exhibitions, he averaged 13.6 points, 3.4 assists and 1.6 rebounds.
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Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Starting Friday
Rotowire
Stirtz is starting in Friday's Las Vegas Summer League game versus the Lakers, Law Murray of The Athletic reports.
Stirtz skipped Tuesday's Salt Lake City Summer League finale, but he's back in action for the start of Oklahoma City's Las Vegas Summer League run. Through two games in Salt Lake City, Stirtz averaged 9.5 points, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
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Thunder's Bennett Stirtz: Inactive Tuesday
Rotowire
Stirtz (undisclosed) didn't play in Tuesday's 103-69 Salt Lake City Summer League loss to the Jazz.
Stirtz logged 29 minutes in the front end of this back-to-back set, so it's possible he was simply given a rest day Tuesday. His next opportunity to suit up will come when the Thunder open the Las Vegas Summer League against the Lakers on Friday.
