Chet Holmgren scored nine of his 22 points during the fourth quarter for Oklahoma City Thunder, who gathered from an 18-point deficit and pulled away for a victory 129-121 over Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday in New York.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the thunderstorm with 27 points but was on the bench for Oklahoma City’s decisive 18-0 driving. The rally occurred two nights after Thunder blew a 25-point lead and allowed the last 16 points in the fourth quarter in an overtime loss to Minnesota Timberwolves.
Aaron Wiggins added 24 from the bench and Jalen Williams contributed 22 for Thunder, who shot 53.3 percent and won for the 10th time in 12 matches. Holmgren pulled down a gaming high 17 returns.
Oklahoma City received 18 straight points in a span of 3:11 to transform a deficit of 103-99 into an advantage of 117-103 with 5:13 left as Trioen Holmgren, Williams and Cason Wallace combined for all 16 points.
Thunder took the lead for good with 7:38 left when Williams was credited with a layout when Keon Johnson was called a goalkeeper. Oklahoma City held an 117-103-edge after a Williams basket covered the spray.
Brooklyn’s Day’ron Sharpe started for Nic Claxton (suspended due to flagrant-foule accumulation) and received a career pile of 25 points while collecting 16 returns. He got 18 in Brooklyn’s 76-point in the first half, but the nets lost for the third time in four matches, Outscored 68-45 during the second half and 68-28 in color at night.
Cameron Johnson added 19 for Nets, as did Killian Hayes, who started for d’Angelo Russell (justified right ankle). Ziaire Williams contributed 18 points and 10 returns and Keon Johnson finished with 16 points for Nets, who shot 40.9 percent and sank 15 of his season’s high 23 Treys in the opening half.
Brooklyn ended 23 out of 61 (37.7 percent) from long distance.
Nets led 30-12 after a can of 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 half. Brooklyn countered Oklahoma City’s comeback attempt by ending the second quarter on a 24-11 run to take a lead of 76-61 in the dressing room after a 3-pointer by Cameron Johnson.
Nets held a 13-point lead with 3:32 left in the third quarter and was satisfied with a 96-90 edge that entered the fourth.
-Field level media
