OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jared McCain scored a season-high 21 points and the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Brooklyn Nets 105-86 on Friday night.
McCain, a former Philadelphia 76ers player the Thunder acquired in this month’s trade, led the team in scoring in five games with Oklahoma City. As a substitute, he made 7 of 12 shots and 3 of 6 three-pointers.
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The Thunder have several players dealing with injuries, including reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) and 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams (strained right hamstring). Both will be re-evaluated in the coming weeks.
Oklahoma City compensated with a balanced score. Chet Holmgren scored 15 points, Isaiah Joe scored 11 points, and Isaiah Hartenstein and Lou Dort each scored 10 points.
Michael Porter Jr. had 22 points and 9 rebounds, and Nolan Traore contributed 17 points for the Nets. Brooklyn shot just 36.7 percent from the field in its third straight loss.
Oklahoma City trailed 21-23 at the end of the first quarter, but took control early in the second quarter and led 38-26. Brooklyn went without a field goal for the first 8 1/2 minutes of the second quarter.
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With 2 minutes and 18 seconds left in the second quarter, Dort fouled on a three-pointer. He made a free throw and the Thunder led 43-30.
The Thunder made 3 of 17 shots in the second quarter and led 50-33 at halftime. It was the Thunder’s lowest-scoring half of the season, and Brooklyn’s 10 points were the lowest for an Oklahoma City opponent.
Thunder guard Nikola Topic, who recently made his NBA debut after undergoing treatment for testicular cancer, hit a 3-pointer and a finger roll to start a 7-3 run that gave the Thunder an 86-70 lead.
Next
Nets: At Atlanta on Sunday.
Thunder: Host Cleveland on Sunday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
