Thunder 129, Nuggets 126: The Day After Report

Box Score | Play-by-Play

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer late as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets 129-126 on Monday night. Oklahoma City overcame a major rebounding deficit—Denver grabbed 56 boards and 16 offensive rebounds—by shooting 51% from the field and committing only three turnovers. Jaylin Williams added 29 points and 12 rebounds, while Nikola Jokic led Denver with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists.

Nuggets & Notes Bullets & Bolts

• Unlike the slog of a win against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, last night's game against the Nuggets was an offensive feast. Despite aggressive defense by both teams, neither defense could slow the other's offense.
• This game had a serious case of the runs–especially in the first quarter. Denver raced out to a quick 13-point lead behind a 17-3 run. Oklahoma City countered right back with its own 16-3 run to even take a brief lead in the first. In the second quarter, the Thunder went on a 15-2 run to build its own 12-point lead, only to see the Nuggets mount a response to pull back within 2 points late in the second quarter. Punch, counterpunch, by both teams.
• Like the last game against the Nuggets, it was a playoff-level atmosphere. The crowd was loud and energetic, and both teams were throwing their best at each other. It culminated in a close, back and forth game that had 17 lead changes.
• Aaron Gordon missed the last OKC-Denver tilt, but he made up for lost time quickly. Gordon had 19 first quarter points on 5-of-6 shooting (2-of-2 from three) while taking 8 (!!!!) free throws in the first quarter alone.
• By the way, SGA took 4 total free throws.
• Despite having Gordon for this one, the Nuggets remained without Peyton Watson. On the other hand, the Thunder sat Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Jalen Williams, and Alex Caruso.
• Noticeably absent from the OKC injury list? Ajay Mitchell. That's right, the Thunder super-sub finally returned from a 20-game absence.
• Mitchell, however, was in peak form. Mitchell looked comfortable right away, repeatedly getting downhill and scoring through contact, finishing with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting.
• How would you rank the top 5 Thunder players? The big three are easy, but Ajay Mitchell has a real case for being the fourth best player, if not clearly in the top 5. That's right, a second-round pick in his second NBA season is basically indisputably one of the 5 best players on a championship roster.
• Jaylin Williams might have had his best game ever in a Thunder uniform. Sans Holmgren and Hartenstein, JWill had to play 40 minutes, including the assignment of defending Nikola Jokic. In those 40 minutes, Williams delivered, scoring 29 points (1 off tying his career high), 12 rebounds, and he was lethal from deep going 7-of-11 from three.
• On a night where Denver was determined to force someone other than SGA to beat them (more on that later), Jaylin stepped up in a monumental way.
• With JWill the lone big, the Nuggets absolutely roasted the Thunder on the glass. Denver dominated rebounding 56-37 overall, including 16 offensive rebounds leading to 29 second-chance points.
• While the main stories for OKC were SGA's brilliance, Ajay's return, and JWill's impact, I still gotta give it up to the other two players who scored in double figures for the Thunder: Isaiah Joe and Jared McCain.
• Compare Isaiah Joe to his early days in OKC to now. He's a totally different player. On top of turning into a savvy defender, Joe has transitioned from spot-up shooter into veritable scorer. In back-to-back possessions, Joe created points off the bounce: first a step back three and second a floater in the lane. Later in the game, he took advantage of Jokic defending him to sink a mid-range baseline jumper.
• McCain also made his mark by scoring 13 points in 22 minutes, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Two of McCain's threes came in the fourth quarter and were momentum shifters. Let me just say, I cannot explain how nice it is to have all these weapons.
• The Lu Dort-Nikola Jokic battles continued. Again in the fourth, Dort was whistled for a foul against Jokic. This time an inadvertent arm hit Jokic's face while Dort was attempting to fight through a screen. Jokic fell to the floor like a wounded bird, and Dort was eventually tagged with a Flagrant 1 after review. In post-game interviews, Dort said he apologized to Jokic and congratulated the former MVP on a great game (Jokic had another triple double–32 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists).
• That final minute and change was fun, right? After Mitchell sunk a huge layup to give OKC a 123-117 lead, the Dort flagrant gave Jokic two free throws. The Joker made the first, missed the second, and wouldn't you know, Denver got an offensive rebound that led to a Jokic three. Jokic then scored floater to pull the Nuggets to within 1. On the ensuing possession, SGA tried to call game with a three-pointer to give OKC a 4-point lead. Not to be outdone, Jokic drained another three, and in the process, Jaylin Williams ran over Jamal Murray, who was setting a screen for Jokic. The refs counted the bucket and gave Murray a free throw to tie the game.
• As I'm sure you all know, SGA called game again, and this one stuck.

One Key Takeaway

So... about SGA. This game felt like his MVP moment. While the Joker had his moments (including that final, epic minute), SGA made his case to repeat as the MVP on a national stage last night.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points, 15 assists, and nine rebounds on 14-of-21 shooting, while committing zero turnovers in nearly 39 minutes. That's right, zero turnovers, on a night that Denver was doubling him every time SGA touched the three-point line.

Even more impressive: he took only four free throws, meaning this wasn’t a whistle-driven scoring night. It was shot-making, playmaking, and total offensive control.

The topper for SGA's performance was supposed to be tying Wilt Chamberlain's record of 126 games straight with 20+ points, but even that wasn't enough for Mr. Consistent.

No, the MVP-leader wasn't satisfied with simply tying a record that has stood for 63 YEARS. He had to truly make it an extra special night by swishing through not one, but two three pointers in the final seconds, including the game winner with 3 seconds to go.

So, for today's one key takeaway, I will leave you with three letters:

M. V. P.