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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider New acquisition McCain shines as Thunder down Nets

New acquisition McCain shines as Thunder down Nets

Published Feb 21, 2026 02:40 pm

At A Glance

  • 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, Feb. 20.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain (3) looks to score between Brooklyn Nets forwards Jalen Wilson, left, and Danny Wolf, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain (3) looks to score between Brooklyn Nets forwards Jalen Wilson, left, and Danny Wolf, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
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, Feb. 20.
McCain, the former Philadelphia 76er the Thunder acquired in a trade this month, posted his highest points total in five games with Oklahoma City. He made 7 of 12 field goals and 3 of 6 3-pointers in a reserve role.
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 are to be re-evaluated in the coming weeks.
Oklahoma City compensated with balanced scoring. Chet Holmgren scored 15 points, Isaiah Joe had 11 and Isaiah Hartenstein and Lu Dort each added 10.
Michael Porter Jr. had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Nolan Traore added 17 points for the Nets. Brooklyn shot just 36.7% from the field in its third straight loss.
Oklahoma City trailed 23-21 at the end of the first quarter, but took control early in the second and broke out to a 38-26 lead. Brooklyn went the first 8 1/2 minutes of the second quarter without a field goal.
Dort was fouled on a made 3-pointer with 2:18 left in the second quarter. He made the free throw to put the Thunder up 43-30.
Oklahoma City led 50-33 at halftime after holding the Nets to 3-for-17 shooting in the second quarter. It was the lowest-scoring half the Thunder have allowed this season, and the 10 points for Brooklyn were a low 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 during a 7-3 run that gave the Thunder an 86-70 lead.
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic had 38 points and 11 assists, Austin Reaves added 29 points and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Los Angeles Clippers down the stretch for a 125-122 victory.
LeBron James had 13 points and 11 assists for the Lakers in their return from the All-Star break. They blew a 15-point lead in the second half, but Doncic scored 12 points in the fourth quarter as the Lakers split the four-game season series with their crosstown rivals.
Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points before missing the final 5:10 with an apparent ankle injury for the Clippers (27-29), who fell just short of getting back to .500 in incredible fashion after their 6-21 start to the season.
Bennedict Mathurin had 26 points and seven rebounds in his second straight outstanding game for his new team before fouling out with 1:49 to play. The athletic guard acquired from Indiana for center Ivica Zubac dropped a career-high-tying 38 against Denver on Thursday.
Derrick Jones Jr. scored on consecutive possessions to trim the Lakers' lead to 123-120 with 46 seconds left. Nicolas Batum then stole James' pass in the final seconds, but the Frenchman missed a tying 3-point attempt with 4 seconds left.
Doncic, James and Reaves were able to play together for only the 11th time in the Lakers’ 55 games this season, thanks to a rare moment of full health for the Lakers coming out of the break. They responded with a prolific offensive performance, even while James managed just two points in the second half.
In Doncic’s return from a four-game absence followed by a five-minute All-Star Game appearance due to a mildly strained hamstring, the Slovenian superstar scored 17 points with four 3-pointers in a dynamic first quarter for the Lakers, who made 16 of 17 shots in one stretch.
Leonard, who had just one bucket in the first, answered with a 19-point second.
The Clippers' John Collins was helped off the court with 18 seconds left in the first half after he bloodied his face on a hard landing while trying to catch a long pass at the rim.
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