THUNDER - Before Brooklyn could even get past its halfcourt logo, Cason Wallace sniffed out a passing lane when Trendon Watford committed a lazy turnover. Wallace threw down the easy jam on his second straight steal-and-score sequence.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Oklahoma City Thunder collected a muchneeded 129-121 win over the Brooklyn Nets. A fourth-quarter defensive masterclass helped make up for a lackluster first three frames. OKC completed an 18-point comeback victory. “Definitely good 48-minute endurance tonight. I thought our disposition didn’t match theirs. They obviously made shots as well, but I think some of that has to do with confidence and some of that has to do with the force they were playing with,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought, at least from our perspective, it was no coincidence some of their shots didn’t go down later when our disposition was a little bit more forceful, and we became the aggressor in the game.”

To start, the stench of their 25-point collapse carried over. The Nets had an early 7-1 lead. That increased to 30-12. It didn’t take long for them to torch the nets from outside. The Thunder finished the quarter with offensive firepower but exited in a frustrating 40-29 hole.

The Thunder quickly cut it to a single-digit deficit thanks to Chet Holmgren and Aaron Wiggins. Both players led the bench lineup and had a fast start. The seven-footer ran the offense. But before they could officially flip the scoreboard, Brooklyn answered right back with a 21-9 run. It had one of its best outside shooting halves of the season.

The Thunder entered halftime with a demoralizing 76-61 deficit. The Nets went 15-of-30 from deep. Priding themselves on their league-best defense, there was massive slippage for OKC against a depleted Brooklyn squad.

The Thunder came out of the break sharper. They scored the first six points to make it a single-digit deficit. It stayed around that range the rest of the way as the Nets’ scoring cooled off. OKC tallied 29 points in the frame and entered the fourth quarter in a manageable 96-90 hole.

With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench, Holmgren and Jalen Williams took over to start the fourth quarter. It was a nostalgic sight to see considering the duo ran through opposing bench lineups last season like a buzzsaw but haven’t had the chance to replicate that this year due to blowouts and injuries.

Williams scored near the rim and then Holmgren made a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer. It didn’t take long for the Thunder to make it a one-point game with 11 minutes left. Wallace tied it up at 103 points apiece with eight minutes left.

Williams and Wallace took turns dissecting Brooklyn’s paint defense with two more buckets. Suddenly, the Thunder had a 107-103 lead. It was their first lead all night. That sequence was part of a larger game-sealing 18-0 run by OKC to finalize the result.

The four minutes featured the Thunder going back to their peak defensive form. Most Nets possessions ended in turnovers or poor shot attempts. OKC read the passing lanes before they even formed and generated plenty of steals. Meanwhile, Holmgren took over with elite rim protection.

By the time Gilgeous-Alexander checked back in, the game was basically over. The Thunder had a 117-106 lead, and the MVP candidate was robbed of the chance to play hero — something he likely didn’t mind if it meant a win. The Nets tried to claw back but they didn’t possess a go-to scorer to do so. They hope to get that archetype in the 2025 NBA draft. The Thunder scored 39 points in the fourth quarter for the comeback.

The Thunder shot 53% from the field and went 9-of-30 (30%) from 3. They shot 24-of-29 on free throws. They had 27 assists on 48 baskets. Six Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander had 27 points and five assists. Holmgren finished with a monster 22-point and 17-rebound double-double. Williams scored an efficient 22 points. Wiggins had 24 points off the bench. Wallace tallied 13 points and three steals.

Meanwhile, the Nets shot 41% from the field and went 23-of-61 (37.7%) from 3. They shot 22-of-25 on free throws. They had 31 assists on 38 baskets. Five Nets players scored double-digit points.

Day’Ron Sharpe dominated on the glass with 25 points on 8-of-10 shooting, 15 rebounds and three blocks. Cameron Johnson finished with 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting and seven assists. Killian Hayes had 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting and seven assists. Ziaire Williams had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Keon Johnson had 16 points.

Three quarters in, the Thunder stared down the barrel of another bad loss against a tanking Nets squad. They avoided disaster for a second straight game with a monster finish. Holmgren and Williams spearheaded the comeback. That said, the defensive slide has been a bit concerning these last few games. They must return to form as they figure out the double-big lineup.

“Those two guys are two of our best players. Part of my job is to get our best players on the court. As I’ve said many times, we’re in the early stages of understanding that,” Daigneault said about the Holmgren-Hartenstein duo. “Has it been perfect? No. Maybe some of the personnel we’re facing has been challenging but I think that’s good for us. It’s good for us in terms of working. It’s good for us in terms of understanding it. If we can sustain the regular season here and make the playoffs, it would be irresponsible of us to not know everything there is to know about every part of our team.”

Next up for the Thunder is the Atlanta Hawks tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Atlanta.

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