Nobody will be too upset if these two teams play again in a week or two. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drained a cold-blooded jumper with 0. 9 seconds remaining to give Oklahoma City its first lead since the first quarter, and the Nuggets didn’t get a shot off on the ensuing inbound, resulting in a 118-117 loss to an on-the-rise Thunder squad Saturday night at Ball Arena.
In a battle between two of the top three teams in the Western Conference standings, the Nuggets lost their second home game this season. They host the Mavericks on Monday. Nikola Jokic finished with 24 points and 12 assists.
Michael Porter Jr. amassed 20 points and 11 rebounds. But Denver couldn’t protect an eight-point lead in the last four minutes.
After facing Chet Holmgren for the first time in October, Jokic was left with the impression that the Thunder rookie center “needs to be a little bit fatter, to be honest. ” Holmgren wasn’t the only player Denver dissected that day, but his struggle to protect the rim was noticeable for someone of his height and wingspan. Weight wasn’t a problem for his interior defense in Denver: Holmgren blocked nine shots to go along with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double.
His ninth was a highlight-reel pin against Aaron Gordon, who was rising to the rim for what seemed like an un-blockable finish. Lu Dort scored at the other end to narrow the Nuggets’ lead to six. Two possessions later, Jokic floated a left-handed, nothing-to-lose lob in the direction of Holmgren as the shot clock neared expiration.
Somehow it drifted an inch over Holmgren’s out-stretched arm. Gordon was waiting on the other side to complete a critical alley-oop for a 111-103 lead with just over three minutes remaining. The game ended on a 15-6 run from there.
When the Nuggets visited Oklahoma City, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and company clamped first-team All-NBA guard Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored seven on 2-of-16 shooting. It was a major factor in a 33-point road rout for Denver. This time, Caldwell-Pope wasn’t around to supply star-snuffing defense, missing his second straight game in concussion protocol.
That responsibility fell to interim starter Justin Holiday, as well as Peyton Watson off the bench. Watson has suddenly become a player entrusted with the most difficult matchups on a nightly basis in recent weeks. Gilgeous-Alexander got off to another slow start, shooting 3-of-12 well into the third quarter before piling up 25 points.
Watson was also a pleasant surprise beyond the arc, where he was shooting 22% this season entering Saturday’s game. With a pair of 3-pointers and a jolt of transition confidence, he made the most of his nine first-half minutes for 11 points without missing a shot attempt. But with 27.
9 seconds remaining in the third quarter, he picked up his fifth foul helping after Jokic left his feet on a Holmgren shot fake. He was forced to sit as a different variation of the second unit started the fourth in an 87-85 game, with Porter staggering at the four and Gordon at the five. Watson’s defense could have been sorely missed in those critical Jokic rest minutes, but the Nuggets rattled off an 8-2 run over the first three-plus minutes of the quarter.
Watson was able to be on the floor for the last possession, but the solid defense he supplied against Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t enough. .
From: denverpost
URL: https://www.denverpost.com/2023/12/16/shai-gilgeous-alexander-thunder-beat-nuggets/
