OKLAHOMA CITY — Grabbing the rebound, Nikola Topic pushed the pace. He went all the way to the other end as a one-man fastbreak show. He split Ochai Agbaji and Jalen Wilson to get to the rim for the transition layup. Too easy as OKC stiff-armed Brooklyn on the scoreboard.
The Oklahoma City Thunder did just enough to get a badly-needed 105-86 win over the Brooklyn Nets. It took a little while to get there, but the short-handed reigning NBA champions put this one away in the second half.
The start of this game showed you how ugly the beautiful game of basketball can get. Neither team could get anything going. It reached the point where both sides flirted with having as many turnovers as made buckets. Eventually, the Thunder found themselves in a 23-21 deficit after the first quarter.
Pretty boring start. The second quarter made up for it with entertaining theatrics. The biggest being Daigneault, as the usually calm head coach went nuclear at the referees. To the point he was handed a rare technical foul. It took him a couple of timeouts to cool down as he went one-by-one to air his grievances with the officiating crew.
Daigneault was upset that Cason Wallace was pushed in the back and that it didn't get reviewed for a flagrant. While he didn't campaign successfully enough to pressure the referees to look into it, the Thunder leveraged his ultra-rare outburst to bury the Nets on the scoreboard.
The Thunder started the second frame with an unreal 17-3 run. While that looks pedestrian, keep in mind that's how the first eight minutes of the quarter started. The Nets were frozen at three points for the longest. It was a mixture of perfect shutdown defense by OKC and textbook offensive incompetence by Brooklyn.
Eventually, Day'Ron Sharpe ended Brooklyn's ice-cold streak with an open dunk. That was just the Nets' second made basket of the second quarter with a little under four minutes to go. The Thunder scored 29 points in the frame to build up a little bit of cushion. They entered halftime with a 50-33 lead.
Coming out of the break, the Nets made a little bit of a run. Egor Demin intercepted a pass and threw it ahead to Danny Wolf for the animated dunk. Suddenly, the Thunder only had a 62-52 lead with a little over six minutes left in the third quarter.
Later on, Alex Caruso and Noah Clowney got at it a bit. The former didn't like how the latter threw his elbow at him. Both were hit with double technical fouls. Things were getting a little feisty between the two squads. Jalen Wilson knocked down an outside jumper and Wolf cut to the basket for a layup. OKC's lead was down to single-digit points.
The Thunder only scored 27 points in the third quarter. They had a 77-67 lead at that point. You just gotta thank the basketball gods that Brooklyn is as bad as it gets. The extremely-young roster looked overwhelmed for most of the night. Even against OKC's C squad.
To put this one away, Topic was the energizer off the bench. He swished in an outside jumper then went coast-to-coast for the fastbreak layup. The Thunder had an 86-70 lead not even three minutes into the final frame. Any concerns that the Nets could make a late comeback push were extinguished.
To slam the door, Jared McCain got into a heater. The microwave scorer had his best game with OKC as he crossed 20 points for the first time this season. A George Constanza look-alike added to the positive vibes of this necessary win. The Thunder scored 28 points in the final frame and led by as many as 20 points.
The Thunder shot 42% from the field and went 13-of-35 (37.1%) from 3. They shot 22-of-25 on free throws. They had 22 assists on 35 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Chet Holmgren had 15 points and seven rebounds. McCain scored 21 points off the bench. Isaiah Joe had 11 points and seven rebounds. Isaiah Hartenstein tallied 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Lu Dort had 10 points and two rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Nets shot 37% from the field and went 7-of-41 (17.1%) from 3. They shot 21-of-26 on free throws. They had 19 assists on 29 baskets. Three Nets players scored double-digit points.
Michael Porter Jr. got his stats with 22 points and nine rebounds. Nolan Traore looked like the best rookie out of their bunch with 17 points and three assists. Sharpe tallied 12 points and eight rebounds.
Well, the Thunder grabbed the one they needed to get — despite how amateurish it looked. The Nets looked closer to a college squad than an NBA team running a professional basketball system. But hey, you take what you can get if you're OKC. You knew how bad things could get once Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell were ruled out for at least one more week with their respective injuries.
It's now about just getting wins. No matter how unapologetic it can get. Now, that said, this win didn't really inspire a whole lotta confidence with how OKC's skeleton crew measures up in its upcoming three-game Eastern Conference contenders gauntlets. But those are problems you deal with another day. For now, just enjoy this much-needed win over a tanking squad to keep pace for the first seed.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Chet Holmgren: B
Positioning himself deep in the post, Holmgren demanded the ball. The seven-footer had the size advantage over Mann. One pound dribble and turnaround later, he went up for the loud one-handed slam. That's exactly what we've been waiting for.
Holmgren finished with 15 points on 3-of-6 shooting, seven rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-2 from 3 and went 7-of-7 on free throws.
When the Thunder's offense was stuck in the mud, Holmgren helped them get out of it with 12 points in the first half. The shot volume wasn't incredibly high — especially considering the circumstances. But his busy night at the free-throw line showed he was aggressive at getting to the rim.
The other side of the ball was actually the easier one. Holmgren had it easy directing traffic. The Nets second-guessed themselves when they decided to go for the cup. The seven-footer's presence forced several drives to be abandoned mid-move. Things were too easy as Brooklyn's young players learned firsthand why he's one of the NBA's best rim protectors.
Against the Nets, Holmgren was able to play within his comfort zone. He played within the flow of the offense. And Brooklyn's ineptitude to put up a decent halfcourt offense helped the Thunder never feel any real pressure to feed the ball to a shot-creator.
Don't think Holmgren will get that same luxury in these upcoming games. But we'll just have to see. The Thunder did just enough on that end of the floor to come away with the easy-peasy win over a rebuilding squad looking to rack up losses to improve their lottery odds.
Cashed it 💰
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 21, 2026
Tune in on Channel 9 in OKC & Channel 6 in Tulsa 📺 pic.twitter.com/cOcFl0jaZf
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 21, 2026
Jared McCain: A
Utilizing Jaylin Williams' screen, McCain finessed a mismatch with Sharpe. The 22-year-old jammed the brakes to pull up from the short-range. Swish. With a little under six minutes to go, he went on a scoring flurry to put this one away and turn in his best game of the season.
McCain finished with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting and four rebounds. He shot 3-of-6 from 3 and went 4-of-4 on free throws. He also had one steal.
That's one way to celebrate your birthday. Three weeks after being dealt, McCain has reached the acceptance stage. He's stoked to get a chance to play rotation minutes for the reigning NBA champion — something that wasn't going to happen in Philadelphia.
And considering who's all out, the Thunder gladly welcomed McCain's hot second half. He scored 19 points. He had 10 in the fourth quarter alone to turn this into a lopsided contest. On mostly jumpers, he showed why he made some Rookie of the Year noise as soon as he made his NBA debut last season.
Once McCain saw one dropped, he was in the groove. As the final seconds ticked away, Kenrich Williams' screen freed enough space away from Wolf to knock down the deep pull-up outside jumper. That's how high his confidence was. The Thunder have yearned for someone to get their own buckets for the last three weeks with everybody that's out.
Really great second half by McCain. You hope this can snowball over to the upcoming upgrade in competition. The Thunder will be desperate for anybody to step up as a bucket-getter. He could fill that role at times.
Jared 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/dn8j4lvks8
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 21, 2026
Got his birthday buckets 🥳 pic.twitter.com/OicokxXbJH
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 21, 2026
Nikola Topic: B-plus
Moving over to the right-wing spot, Topic received Joe's last-hope pass. He calmly swished in the catch-and-shoot look despite Mann's textbook contest. In just his second NBA game, the 20-year-old helped the Thunder close this one out. Not bad for someone fresh off beating cancer.
Topic finished with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, three rebounds and two assists. He shot 1-of-2 from 3. He also had one steal and one block.
Running the second unit, Topic helped the Thunder stay afloat — or at the very least, get in their sets. A secondary ball-handler has been an archetype that OKC has lacked since Josh Giddey's departure. In comes the 20-year-old who has finally suited up after two obstacle-filled years with a torn ACL and testicular cancer.
Until Gilgeous-Alexander returns, Topic's early impressions against NBA competition will be a top storyline. And so far, the early results are exciting. He had no problem feeling himself. He carried himself like a former lottery pick who should be at this grandeur stage.
Topic showed off his scoring flashes. He finished through Brooklyn defenders a couple of times on his drives to the basket. He didn't hesitate for a second when he found himself semi-open from the perimeter. He scored five points in the final frame to help McCain put this one away as OKC's co-closers.
For him to be on an NBA court just four months after being diagnosed with cancer is an unreal story in itself. But for him to help the Thunder get a win in just his second game raised some eyebrows. We'll see how things play out, but you're already seeing his superb talent and what he brings to the table for the reigning NBA champions.
Hot Topić getting right to the RACK 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xzrJI80ygG
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 21, 2026
Isaiah Joe: B
Catching Caruso's pass, Joe methodically went into his pure shooting motion. Nevermind the fact that his feet were at the tail-end of OKC's midcourt logo. Despite a couple of Brooklyn defenders in his grill, he swished in the deep 3-pointer near the end of a first-half run.
Joe finished with 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting, seven rebounds and one assist. He shot 2-of-3 from 3 and went 3-of-4 on free throws. He also had two steals.
Beating up the Nets on the scoreboard, Joe scored 10 points in the second quarter — the same amount Brooklyn had as a team. He showed off his range as OKC's best outside shooter, but this recent string of injuries has allowed him to get a little more creative as a scorer. To the point that they might keep some of his other looks in the playbook when the Thunder get healthy.
Of their short-handed roster, Joe has taken the most advantage among the Thunder's role players. You're seeing him be able to add more to his plate without any real problems. That happened here once again as OKC dominantly won his minutes.
We'll see if this is just a hot streak or something real. Time will tell. But if you're the Thunder, you gladly take the scoring jump with the long list of guys currently out. Joe has been awesome for a three-week stretch now. He's one of the biggest reasons why they've been able to navigate rocky waters.
Not in Zai's house 🙅♂️ pic.twitter.com/8omm3pzTDa
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 21, 2026
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This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder get badly-needed 105-86 win over Nets