OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain scored a season-high 21 points in a 105-86 win against the Brooklyn Nets. In the Thunder's sixth consecutive game without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, McCain's 21 points led Oklahoma City in scoring before his team's initiation.
What's become a tradition for new players over the years, McCain debuted his bark during his first walk-off interview for the Thunder, per FanDuel TV.
Jared McCain barking in his Thunder postgame interview 😂 pic.twitter.com/tdMDjD7PqZ
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 21, 2026
The new Thunder player postgame bark started when Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams initiated it for the fans in attendance and during walk-off interviews, and eventually became a must for all new Thunder players.
Mark Daigneault commends Thunder for key adjustments
Ahead of the Thunder missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams for the next one to two weeks, head coach Mark Daigneault says that while Friday's win against the Nets wasn't pretty, his players found a way. The Thunder defense held the Nets to 10 points in the second quarter. Then, found its offensive rhythm in the second half.
For Daigneault, missing Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and Ajay Mitchell has disrupted the Thunder's offensive consistency, which forced the defending champions to adjust on the fly.
“We're obviously missing some on-ball creators. So, the way we're trying to create advantages is different right now,” Daigneault said. “But once we create the advantage and once we get the ball ahead, those plays aren't any different. I thought we had some really good plays. I also thought we had some that we can learn from. We had a lot of turnovers. It wasn't a clean offensive game.
“It was hard to establish a rhythm with some of those plays, but the guys are being put in good positions. We have to start to build our muscle collectively, obviously, but we also need to continue to build those habits offensively.”
The Thunder will host the Cavs in a matinee on Sunday.
