The Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets continue their newly-found tradition of playing entertaining close games.
In the first of four matchups this season, the Thunder came up short against the Nuggets and lost 122-117 in a game that saw 11 ties and 11 lead changes.
The Thunder offense was not able to keep up with the Nuggets down the stretch and resorted to intentionally fouling the Nuggets in the final moments of the game.
The Nuggets were able to win this with their flame-throwing outside shooting as they shot 20-of-38 (52.6 percent) from three this game and scored 122 points in regulation. The Thunder matched up well with the Nuggets in this department as they shot 15-of-38 (39.5 percent) from three.
Ultimately, the lack of experience and talent on the Thunder is what cost them this game in the final minutes as there were multiple possessions that went bad quickly.
The Nuggets were led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who finished with a triple-double of 19 points, 16 rebounds and 13 assists. Michael Porter Jr. added 22 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s six threes contributed to his 21 points.
For the Thunder, let’s take a look at player grades for the five players that stood out the most in this valiant loss.