Feb. 21, 2026, 9:21 a.m. ET

The Brooklyn Nets (15-40) were coming off a demoralizing loss at the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday to try to face the Oklahoma City Thunder (43-14) on the second night of a back-to-back. Brooklyn was still without center Nic Claxton along with forward Ziaire Williams and yet, they were able to make some runs. Oklahoma City prevailed in the end, however.

The Nets lost at the Thunder on Friday 105-86 in which Brooklyn trailed by as many as 20 points despite making some nice runs in the third quarter. Forward Michael Porter Jr. led the way for the Nets with 22 points and nine rebounds while rookie guard Nolan Traore has 17 points and three assists against a Thunder team that made each offensive possession tough.

Despite the fact that Oklahoma City was missing two key players in guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and forward Jalen Williams, the Thunder were able to find a way to generate enough offense to win the game. Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain led the team in scoring with 21 points off the bench. Here are three Nets takeaways from Friday’s loss at the Thunder:

Michael Porter Jr. Overcomes Poor Shooting With All-around Performance

Porter has not been shooting the ball well even before the All-Star break and it seems like the poor shooting is continuing as the Thunder were yet another team that made sure to contest all of Porter’s shots. While Porter finished this game shooting just 6-of-16 from the field and 1-of-9 from three-point land, he still finished with a nice stat line of 22 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 38 minutes.

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!Nolan Traore Bounces Back Well

Traore had a rough performance on Thursday against the Cavaliers as he shot just 3-of-11 from the field while totaling just five assists to four turnovers. Against the Thunder, Traore managed to break through despite dealing with Cason Wallace’s tenacious defense as he finished the game with 17 points (5-of-11 shooting from the field) even though he finished with more turnovers (4) than assists (3).

Day’Ron Sharpe Shows Up Against Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren

Sharpe had a disappointing outing against Cavaliers big men in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley on Thursday, but he had a better outing on Friday against Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren of the Thunder. Sharpe did a great job of finishing in the paint despite dealing with Oklahoma City’s collapsing in the interior while also doing his job on the glass and defending the rim as well.