Oklahoma City Thunder (43-14) beat Brooklyn Nets (15-40) 105-86 at home on Friday, February 20 in a low-scoring game: just 191 combined points between the two teams.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Nets struck first, taking the opening quarter 23-21 and a 2-point lead after one. The Thunder moved in front with a 29-10 second quarter, carrying a 17-point lead into halftime.
The Nets won the third 34-27 to stay in front, taking a 10-point lead into the fourth. The Thunder took the fourth 28-19; the Thunder finished the job for a 105-86 regulation win.
What decided it
The Thunder got more from their shots, finishing at 50% effective field-goal shooting compared with 41.1% for the Nets. The Thunder grabbed 30.2% of their own misses, while the Nets recovered 22.7%. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
At roughly 100 possessions per team, the Thunder produced 105.3 points per 100 possessions to 86.2 for the Nets.
The Thunder's reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 55-24.
Who made the difference
Michael Porter Jr. was the game's biggest individual force for BKN: 22 pts, 9 reb, 5 ast on 6-16 shooting. His Game Score of 18.6 led everyone. His team was -3 with him on the floor.
Jared McCain led the Thunder with 21 pts, 4 reb, 0 ast on 7-12 shooting, good for a 16.6 Game Score.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Thunder about a 93% chance.
Across the last 2 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 2-0.
The Thunder are now 43-14, and the Nets are 15-40. The Thunder last five before this game: L-L-W-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.