Chet Holmgren praises Nikola Topic in NBA debut after cancer diagnosis

Heading into their final matchup before the All-Star break, Oklahoma City was decimated by injuries.

In Thursday night's game against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Thunder were missing plenty of key contributors, including last year's MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder were also without other starters Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein. 

From their bench, Ajay Mitchell and Branden Carlson were inactive as well.

As a result, the Thunder had a tough time scoring and were limited to 93 points in what ended as a 17-point defeat.

Despite plenty of injuries, there was one clear silver-lining for the Thunder. Thursday's game marked the NBA debut of Nikola Topic, after dealing with extensive injuries in addition to a cancer diagnosis.

In 12 minutes of action, Topic finished with two points on 1-for-3 shooting to go along with one rebound and one assist.

Following the game, Chet Holmgren opened up about what it means for Topic to be returning to action given the circumstances. “I don’t ever want to say I can full comprehend or understand what he went through. With my situations, I was fighting to get back to my career. Anybody who is fighting cancer is fighting for their lives (...) Speaks to the strength of Top (Topic).”

With the next week off, Oklahoma City will have plenty of time to recover before their next game against the Brooklyn Nets.

As for Topic, he'll hope to use the break as an opportunity to get up to speed in hopes of joining Oklahoma City's deep rotation.

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