Sharpe's Monster Night Not Enough to Lift Brooklyn Nets over Oklahoma City Thunder

The Nets have now lost two-straight.

Feb 26, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) looks to drive past Brooklyn Nets guard Killian Hayes (7) in the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Returning home from a two-game roadtrip, the Brooklyn Nets welcomed the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Barclays Center. In a battle between a play-in hopeful and the second-best squad record-wise in the entire NBA, Brooklyn enterred tonight's matchup aiming to take down the Western Conference powerhouse. After a promising start, the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference was unable to steal a game from one of the league's best, falling 129-121

Day'Ron Sharpe led the Nets with 25 points and 16 rebounds on 8-of-10 shooting. Sans Nic Claxton due to suspension after the big man picked up his sixth flagrant foul of the season in Monday's loss to the Washington Wizards, Sharpe was thrust into the starting five.

Maybe it was Sharpe's presence, an extremely successful pre-game shootaround or some divine intervention, but Brooklyn completely blitzed Oklahoma City from the opening tip. Against the Thunder's second-highest rated defene leaguewide, the Nets shot 62.5% from the field en route to a 40-point opening frame.

Sharpe posted nine points and two rebounds, including a top-of-the-key three-pointer which pushed Broolyn's advantage to 16 midway through the first quarter. The backup big man turned starter received help by way of Cam Johnson and Keon Johnson's 14 combined points, but the Nets' success extended beyond the offensive end.

The hosts snagged three steals — resulting in five fast break points — while limiting Oklahoma City to just 3-of-12 from beyond the arc. However, a late spark from Aaron Wiggins trimmed a once-18-point advantage for Brooklyn to just 11 through 12 minutes of play.

For a New York minute, the Thunder began to creep back. The visitors put together a 9-2 run, eventually cutting their deficit to as low as two, but nothing could contain the Nets' three-point barrage.

Come halftime, Jordi Fernandez's crew had connected on 15 of its 30 triple attempts (the team eventually attempted a franchise record 60 three-pointers) as Brooklyn's starting lineup flourished. Sharpe led all scorers with 18 points, while nearly every member of the first five notched double-digits in the scoring column. Thanks to their red-hot shooting, the Nets led the Thunder 76-61 at the break.

Oklahoma City leads the West for a reason, though, and it showed exactly why in the third quarter. As Shai Gilegous-Alexander and Wiggins began gashing Brooklyn, the once-blowout quickly became tightly contested. The Nets' third quarter woes have been a trend all season long, especially against top-tier competition, and tonight was no different.

To make matters worse, Johnson — who was questionable coming into this evening with a back issue — landed on his back midway through he frame. He'd be evaluated in the locker room, but returned to the bench minutes later, and eventually checked back into the game. As Sharpe remained a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor, he added just three points after his dominant first half showing, yet Brooklyn maintained a four-point lead with one stanza to play.

The teams traded buckets throughout the start of the fourth, but the Thunder grabbed its first lead of the matchup with just over seven minutes to play in regulation. Cason Wallace stole the ensuing inbound pass, putting Oklahoma City up by four and mounting pressure on the Nets. On the very next possession, Wallace again stole the ball, this time driving in for a transition dunk and capping off a 10-0 Thunder run.

That run eventually ballooned up to 18-2, creating a 14-point Brooklyn deficit and effectively ending the Nets' upset hopes. On a night where Sharpe was nearly perfect from the field, Fernandez and company were unable to continue their highly-efficient offensive numbers and ultimatelty fell to 21-37.

Now losers of two straight, Brooklyn looks to bounce back on Friday when it/they welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to the Barclays Center. The Nets claimed their most recent contest against Portland, overcoming Scoot Henderson's 39 points in the Jan. 15 132-114 win. The rematch is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 28.

To access the final box score from the Nets' loss to the Thunder, click here.

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