Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
The Oklahoma City Thunder cruised to a dominant 121-92 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Wednesday night (March 18), extending their winning streak to 10 games and handing Brooklyn one of its most embarrassing halves of basketball in franchise history.
Jared McCain led all scorers with 26 points off the bench, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting before being subbed out midway through the third quarter with Oklahoma City already ahead by 38. Aaron Wiggins chipped in 17 points for the Thunder, who led by as many as 42 and never trailed.
SGA extended his NBA-record streak to 62 consecutive road games with at least 20 points. The Thunder shot 53% from the field and 40% from three-point range, improving to a league-best 25-8 on the road.
The story of the night, though, was Brooklyn's catastrophic first half. The Nets scored just 24 points before halftime — tied for the lowest-scoring half in franchise history — while committing 15 turnovers. Oklahoma City converted those miscues into 22 points and took a stunning 60-24 lead into the locker room. Brooklyn's 11 first-quarter points also tied a franchise record low.
As reported by Yahoo Sports, Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernández didn't sugarcoat the performance after the game. "You feel embarrassed when you score 24 points in a half of basketball," Fernández said. "And I do believe, no doubt in my mind, that our guys are better than this. But it's not about what you believe. I think our readiness to play the game was not there."
For the full game, the Nets shot just 36.7% from the field and committed 23 turnovers. Jalen Wilson led Brooklyn with 15 points off the bench. Rookie Nolan Traore was the only Nets starter to reach double figures, finishing with 13 points.
The Nets were already shorthanded heading into the contest, playing without Michael Porter Jr. (left hamstring), Ben Saraf, Egor Demin, and Day'Ron Sharpe. Things got worse when Noah Clowney left in the first quarter with a right wrist sprain and did not return.
NetsDaily noted that Brooklyn did manage to outscore Oklahoma City 68-61 in the second half, keeping the final score from looking even more lopsided. "I think we just stepped up, we were taking some pride, looking at the score and understanding what the first half was," Wilson said. "We can't wait until we're down to say we want to play this way or that way. We have to be ready to play from the jump."
The 24 first-half points were the second-fewest in NBA history in a single half. Only the Phoenix Suns, who scored 22 against the Los Angeles Lakers on January 3, 2016, have been worse.
Oklahoma City was also shorthanded, missing Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams, and Isaiah Hartenstein — but it made little difference given the Thunder's defensive dominance.
Oklahoma City continues its five-game road trip Saturday (March 21) against the Washington Wizards.