The defending champions are Thunderstruck.
The Nuggets’ season-best six-game win streak is no more, sandwiched by losses at altitude to the same team 13 days apart. Unlike the first bookend, this one was convincing: a 119-93 bludgeoning by the Thunder on Friday night at Ball Arena.
It was Denver’s worst loss at home since getting blasted by the Golden State Warriors, 142-111, on Jan. 15, 2019.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whom the Nuggets (23-11) guarded exceptionally for the first seven quarters of their matchups this season, erupted for 40 points on 14-of-20 shooting in an encore to his last-second game-winning shot over Peyton Watson on Dec. 16.
He scored 17 of those points on just seven field goal attempts in the third quarter as Oklahoma City (21-9) went on a definitive run. The Nuggets started the half with some steam after trailing 54-48, but after they got within two, their momentum halted the way it usually did: The Thunder clogged the paint, took away Nikola Jokic’s cutters and swiped his pass attempts into tight windows. Three minutes into the frame, his seventh turnover of the night gave Gilgeous-Alexander a fast-break bucket and forced a Michael Malone timeout.
It was part of an 8-0 surge that ballooned into a 24-6 stretch. The Nuggets trailed by as many as 22 in the third and never recovered.
Jokic didn’t turn it over the remainder of the night, but his turnovers matched his assists. The Thunder capitalized on 17 Denver giveaways with a 25-13 edge in fast-break points, including 12-1 in a tightly contested first half.
“I think some will be maybe poor decisions by Nikola; some will be poor spacing, poor reaction to the double-team,” Malone said. “They do such a good job collapsing in the paint, so you’ve gotta make sure when two come to the ball, you have to have outlets. If you don’t have the proper outlets, now he’s being forced to try and make a play and throw into triple-coverage at times. … It’s not just on Nikola. Everybody was guilty. And that was something that we’ll clean up, and hopefully get some rest tomorrow, get back to practice and get ready for January.”
Jamal Murray’s six-game streak of scoring 20 or more points came to an end with a 4-for-15 shooting night (nine points, 11 assists). He shot 56% from three during the previous six games, coinciding with his team’s win streak. But in the last two clashes with the Thunder, he has shot a combined 9 of 28 from the field and 1 of 12 from 3-point range. Those are the two outliers in his magnificent December.
The Nuggets were 27% as a team beyond the arc, while the Thunder overcame a 4-for-17 first half by knocking down eight 3s after the break.
“You’ve gotta be able to fly around,” Malone said. “… That team that we went out there and showed tonight, that wasn’t the team that’s played the last 10 games.”
If there was any doubt that what Oklahoma City did 13 days ago in Denver was the real deal, that notion was dispelled almost immediately. The first two minutes and change belonged to Chet Holmgren. The rookie scored the Thunder’s first 10 including a pair of 3-pointers, one in Jokic’s face. He ended the first quarter with 14 and the half with 17 on 7-of-9 shooting, passing the torch to Gilgeous-Alexander after his early burst.
Unlike last time, the Nuggets had a healthy Kentavious Caldwell-Pope available to throw at Gilgeous-Alexander, which was an X-factor when these teams met in October. SGA slowly got going by rumbling downhill in the opening frame and earning his way to the line six times. He had 18 by half, combining with Holmgren to account for 65% of the Thunder’s points. Josh Giddey added 12 points and eight rebounds.
“We just didn’t have the proper energy,” Malone said.
With Aaron Gordon still out due to injuries sustained from a dog bite on Christmas, Watson started again for Denver and scored 14. That left the bench with just 31 points on 30 shots. Backup point guard Reggie Jackson limped off in the second quarter and was ruled questionable to return with left calf tightness going into halftime, but he returned during the third.
