Jarred Mccain Scores 12 in Thunder’s 122-113 Win
jarred mccain scored 12 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 122-113 in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday. He hit three 3-pointers, added six rebounds and three assists, then stayed on the floor for more than seven fourth-quarter minutes.
The performance came in McCain’s 40th game with Oklahoma City. He was acquired in a midseason trade from the Philadelphia 76ers and has already moved into meaningful playoff minutes for the Thunder.
McCain’s late-minute role
McCain finished the game on the floor, a sign of how quickly he has settled into a rotation spot after arriving from Philadelphia. He averaged 10.8 points off the bench in Oklahoma City’s six games since the start of the second round.
That workload stands out because his season ended on Dec. 14, 2024, when a meniscus tear in his left knee cut short his run with the 76ers. Before that injury, Philadelphia had taken him with the 16th pick in the 2024 NBA draft, and he had averaged 15.3 points, 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 38.3% from 3-point range in his first 23 games.
Caruso on McCain
Alex Caruso said McCain brings more than scoring. “Jared has been enlightening for us as a team from a personality standpoint,” Caruso said, adding that he has “endless energy every single day” and is “always smiling, joking, being a part of the team and being a great teammate.”
Caruso also pointed to how he moves without the ball. “He is constantly moving on offense, which is manipulating the defense,” Caruso said. “He’s starting to pick up some of our other principles.”
McCain has also drawn attention away from the court. He said, “The painting of the nails, the TikTok [dances] and being able to do that, I definitely got hate for it,” and added, “It’s something I like doing. But basketball has always been the main thing, and people try to deteriorate that and make it about other things.”
For Oklahoma City, the result is bigger than one box score line. McCain is already giving the Thunder scoring, rebounding and finishing minutes in the playoffs, and that is happening only months after his knee injury ended his season in Philadelphia.
