Mar 18, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain (3) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets guard Malachi Smith (18) and forward Ziaire Williams (1) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Three Takeaways From The Thunder's Blowout Win Over The Nets

Originally posted on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI
By Grayson Buchanan | Last updated Mar 18, 2026 10:05 PM ET

There was never any doubt about Wednesday night’s game.

The Thunder made this game theirs from the very beginning and easily beat the Nets 121-92. Jared McCain led the scoring for the Thunder as he had 26 points.

Neither Chet Holmgren nor Shai Gilgeous-Alexander saw any playing time in the fourth quarter, as the Thunder were up 36 points going into the last quarter.

This was a display of pure dominance by the OKC squad and is a performance it hopes to continue to replicate.

Here are three takeaways from the Thunder’s easy win over the Nets.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

1. Phenomenal first quarter

Oklahoma City opened the game ready to dominate. After just the first quarter, the Thunder were leading the Nets by 17 points and were dominating all over the court. OKC’s suffocating defense only allowed Brooklyn to make four shots and held the Nets to 0-10 shooting from three.

This defense also made Brooklyn turn the ball over 7 times in the first quarter alone, four of which were Thunder steals. Oklahoma City shot efficiently, making 50% of its shots, and nailed three shots from beyond the arc.

This dominant first quarter set the tone for the rest of the game and was the reason OKC never looked back from the very beginning of this contest.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

2. Great defense makes for easy offense

The Thunder defense will live in the Nets' nightmares for the next couple of weeks after Wednesday night’s game. Not only did the Brooklyn have a rough night shooting the ball, but it had trouble with the ball in its hands altogether.

The Nets turned the ball over 23 times, which gave OKC even more opportunities to score than they already had. Oklahoma City capitalized by scoring 31 points off the Nets’ turnovers, with 22 of those points being in the first half alone.

The Thunder have proven they have one of the best offenses in the league, but when your defense is that good, it makes scoring a lot easier.

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

3. No worries about back-to-backs

The craziest thing about the Thunder’s dominant performance has to be that it came on the second leg of a back-to-back series. OKC was in Orlando the night before its bout with Brooklyn, and played to the wire in a tough game.

Some teams might rest their star players and rely on the reserves to coast through the second game, but the Thunder did the exact opposite. Gilgeous-Alexander had 20 points in just nine shots and led the Thunder to an easy lead, and even sat out the full fourth quarter.

When OKC starts looking human every once in a while, they prove real quick they have the ability to be the best team in the league every night.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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