Thunder bounce back from stunning collapse with fourth-quarter blitz to beat the Nets 129-121
NEW YORK — — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points, Chet Holmgren had 22 points and 17 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rebounded from a stunning collapse with a game-changing blitz in the fourth quarter to beat the Brooklyn Nets 129-121 on Wednesday night.
Aaron Wiggins added 24 points and Jalen Williams had 22 for the Thunder, who were playing for the first time since their 131-128 loss to Minnesota on Monday, when they led by 24 points in the fourth quarter and were still ahead by 16 with under 4 minutes remaining in regulation.
They had some of the same defensive woes in this one, when they allowed a season-high 76 points in the first half and trailed by 18. But then they unleased an 18-0 run in the fourth quarter, turning a 103-99 deficit into a 117-103 lead. Oklahoma City outscored Brooklyn 27-7 to begin the period.
Day’Ron Sharpe scored a career-high 25 points in his first start of the season for the Nets, adding 15 rebounds and five assists. Killian Hayes had a season-best 19 points and Cam Johnson also scored 19.
Takeaways
Thunder: Once they got going, the Western Conference leaders didn’t slow down until they had avoided what would have been consecutive losses for just the second time this season.
Nets: Sharpe made the most of his chance to start and play major minutes with starting center Nic Claxton suspended for the game by the NBA for accumulation of flagrant foul points.
Key moment
With the Thunder having just taken a two-point lead, Cason Wallace got the next two baskets off his own steals, giving Oklahoma City a 109-103 lead midway through its run.
Key stat
The Nets made a season-high 23 3-pointers on a franchise-record 61 attempts.
Up next
The Thunder visit Atlanta on Friday night and the Nets host Portland.
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Thunder bounce back from stunning collapse with fourth-quarter blitz to beat the Nets 129-121
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OKC wins 2-0
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKC | 29 | 32 | 29 | 39 | 129 |
| BKN | 40 | 36 | 20 | 25 | 121 |
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City | 47 | 11 | .810 | – | W1 |
| Denver | 38 | 20 | .655 | 9 | W1 |
| Minnesota | 32 | 27 | .542 | 15.5 | W1 |
| Portland | 26 | 33 | .441 | 21.5 | W3 |
| Utah | 14 | 43 | .246 | 32.5 | L1 |
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 42 | 17 | .712 | – | L1 |
| New York | 38 | 20 | .655 | 3.5 | W1 |
| Brooklyn | 21 | 37 | .362 | 20.5 | L2 |
| Philadelphia | 20 | 38 | .345 | 21.5 | L9 |
| Toronto | 18 | 41 | .305 | 24 | L2 |
Thunder vs. Nets odds, score prediction, time: 2025 NBA picks, February 26 best bets from proven model
We’ve got another exciting interconference contest on Wednesday’s NBA schedule as the Brooklyn Nets will host the Oklahoma City Thunder. Brooklyn is 21-36 overall and 9-18 at home, while Oklahoma City is 46-11 overall and 20-7 on the road. The Thunder defeated the Nets, 127-101, at home on Jan. 19 and are 5-1 over their last six matchups against Brooklyn. D’Angelo Russell (ankle) and Nic Claxton (suspension) are out for the Nets.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Thunder are favored by 16.5 points in the latest Nets vs. Thunder odds, according to the SportsLine consensus. The over/under is 217.5 points. Before entering any Thunder vs. Nets picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 19 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 147-106 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 18-10 (64%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Oklahoma City vs. Brooklyn. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Nets vs. Thunder:
The Thunder, with the best record in the Western Conference, are coming off a rare loss and the first game following an Oklahoma City loss hasn’t often brought favorable results to the opposing team. The Thunder have won seven straight games following a loss, winning by an average of 23 points per game. Each of those victories came by at least 10 points with five wins by more than 20 points. The Thunder defeated the Nets, 127-101, in their first matchup, which came following one of the last seven losses.
Oklahoma City has the MVP favorite in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who leads the NBA at 32.4 ppg. He had 39 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in the Thunder’s 131-128 overtime loss to the Timberwolves on Monday for his second straight game with at least 37 points and eight rebounds. Oklahoma City has the No. 5 scoring offense (117.8 ppg) and No. 2 scoring defense (105.6 ppg) in the league this season in what appears to be a complete talent mismatch on paper. See which team to pick here.
The Nets will be shorthanded, but that’s nothing new to them given the bevy of injuries they’ve faced this season. Russell will miss his third straight game and Claxton faces a one-game suspension following his sixth flagrant foul of the season, but the Nets have played without Cam Thomas, their leading scorer, since Jan. 2. The Nets have remained competitive due to defensive effort and success, holding teams below 100 points in six of their last 10 games and 110 points or fewer in 13 of 14 contests.
Brooklyn’s recent defensive dominance has the Nets ranked as the No. 8 scoring defense, allowing 110.8 ppg this season. The Nets are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games and although knocking off the Thunder may seem like an impossible task, Brooklyn has been doing the improbable the majority of the season to remain just 1.5 games out of the NBA Play-In Tournament. See which team to pick here.
The model has simulated Nets vs. Thunder 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under, projecting 207 combined points, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 70% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Thunder vs. Nets, and which side of the spread hits almost 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Nets vs. Thunder spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 147-106 roll on top-rated NBA picks since last season, and find out.
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SportsLine’s model just revealed its NBA predictions for the Brooklyn Nets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday
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Thunder escape 18-point deficit, race past Nets
Chet Holmgren scored nine of his 22 points in the fourth quarter for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who rallied from an 18-point deficit and pulled away for a 129-121 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday in New York.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 27 points but was on the bench for Oklahoma City’s decisive 18-0 run. The rally occurred two nights after the Thunder blew a 25-point lead and allowed the final 16 points of the fourth quarter in an overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Aaron Wiggins added 24 off the bench and Jalen Williams contributed 22 for the Thunder, who shot 53.3 percent and won for the 10th time in 12 games. Holmgren pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds.
Oklahoma City scored 18 straight points in a span of 3:11 to turn a 103-99 deficit into a 117-103 advantage with 5:13 left as the trio of Holmgren, Williams and Cason Wallace combined for all of 16 points.
The Thunder took the lead for good with 7:38 remaining when Williams was credited with a layup as Keon Johnson was called for goaltending. Oklahoma City held a 117-103 edge after a Williams basket capped the spree.
Brooklyn’s Day’Ron Sharpe started for Nic Claxton (suspended due to flagrant-foul accumulation) and scored a career-high 25 points while collecting 16 rebounds. He scored 18 in Brooklyn’s 76-point first half, but the Nets lost for the third time in four games, were outscored 68-45 in the second half and 68-28 in the paint on the night.
Cameron Johnson added 19 for the Nets, as did Killian Hayes, who started for D’Angelo Russell (sprained right ankle). Ziaire Williams contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds and Keon Johnson finished with 16 points for the Nets, who shot 40.9 percent and sank 15 of their season-high 23 treys in the opening half.
Brooklyn wound up 23 of 61 (37.7 percent) from long distance.
The Nets led 30-12 after a dunk by Jalen Wilson and held a 40-29 edge after the opening quarter.
The Thunder sliced the gap to 52-50 on a 3 by Alex Caruso with 6:18 left in the half. Brooklyn countered Oklahoma City’s comeback try by ending the second quarter on a 24-11 run to take a 76-61 lead in the locker room following a 3-pointer by Cameron Johnson.
The Nets held a 13-point lead with 3:32 left in the third quarter and settled for a 96-90 edge entering the fourth.
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