The short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder leaned on a breakout performance from Jared McCain to defeat the Brooklyn Nets 105-86 on Friday night.
McCain poured in a season-high 21 points off the bench, shooting 7 of 12 from the field and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. The former 76er, acquired in a trade earlier this month, delivered his best outing in five games with Oklahoma City as the Thunder continue to navigate a wave of injuries.
Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) and 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams (strained right hamstring) remain sidelined and will be re-evaluated in the coming weeks. In their absence, Oklahoma City relied on balanced scoring. Chet Holmgren scored 15 points, Isaiah Joe added 11, and Isaiah Hartenstein and Lu Dort chipped in 10 apiece.
After trailing 23-21 at the end of the first quarter, the Thunder seized control in the second. Brooklyn went the first 8½ minutes of the quarter without a field goal as Oklahoma City surged ahead 38-26. Dort’s four-point play — a made 3-pointer plus the free throw with 2:18 left in the half — stretched the lead to 43-30. The Thunder carried a 50-33 advantage into halftime after holding the Nets to just 3-for-17 shooting in the second quarter.
Nikola Topić, recently back after undergoing treatment for testicular cancer, added a 3-pointer and a finger-roll layup during a third-quarter spurt that pushed the lead to 86-70.
Brooklyn was led by Michael Porter Jr. with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Nolan Traore scored 17. The Nets shot just 36.7% from the field in their third straight loss.
Up next:
Brooklyn travels to Atlanta on Sunday, while Oklahoma City hosts Cleveland.
