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All three games in this Western Conference Semifinals series between the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder and fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets have had extremely different looks and feels. Naturally, so will my […]
All three games in this Western Conference Semifinals series between the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder and fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets have had extremely different looks and feels. Naturally, so will my coverage of these games.
The Nuggets and Thunder tussled back-and-forth for 48 minutes in regulation, with Oklahoma City winning the first quarter and briefly leading by as many as seven points. But by winning the second, third, and fourth quarters by narrow margins, Denver was able to keep the game close and force overtime.
Let’s skip all the way ahead to 2:32 left in the fourth quarter. The game is tied 97-97 despite a subpar effort from Nikola Jokic: teammates Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. picked it up on the offensive end. Murray hit a tough step back jumper at the 2:17 mark to give the Nuggets a 99-97 lead.
On the ensuing Thunder possession, Lu Dort missed a three-pointer to take the lead, but 2024-25 NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who was having a poor shooting night of his own, like fellow MVP Nikola Jokic) grabbed the rebound and found Jalen Williams, who was able to connect on a 26-foot three-pointer. Oklahoma City grabbed a 100-99 lead with 1:50 left to play in regulation.
Murray missed his next shot attempt, and the Thunder added two more points at the free throw line from Jalen Williams. 102-99 with 1:11 left to play.
Jokic missed once again, near the basket which is uncharacteristic for the three-time MVP, setting up a huge defensive possession for the Nuggets. Denver’s defense only conceded a contested 21-foot jumper from Gilgeous-Alexander: no good.
With just 7 seconds separating the shot clock and game clock (0:33), everyone in Ball Arena could have expected a three-point attempt by the Nuggets, down three.
And yet the Thunder left Game 1’s hero, Aaron Gordon, open in the corner. Murray found Gordon, who tapped his feet to set his footing, and nailed the huge three-pointer with 27.1 seconds left to play.
This of course left time on the clock for the Thunder, but Oklahoma City came up short once again: with Gilgeous-Alexander looking to make a driving layup or at least draw a shooting foul in the game’s final seconds. He was unsuccessful in both attempts, sending the game to overtime.
The Nuggets won overtime handily, on an 11-2 run for the period. Jokic had four points in overtime, and Gordon hit another big jumper with 1:05 left in the period, extending the Nuggets lead to 113-104, which was ultimately the game’s final score.
Nikola Jokic finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists, along with 2 blocks and 2 steals, but he also had 8 turnovers and shot 8-of-25 from the field including 0-of-10 from three-point range.
Michael Porter Jr. came alive with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 5-of-6 three-point shooting, despite playing through a shoulder injury. If Porter Jr.’s three’s weren’t falling, which they hadn’t been in this series so far, the Nuggets may not have been able to win Game 3. Porter Jr. was named the Player of the Game at Ball Arena for his effort, and was visibly more energized on the court than any point in this postseason so far.
Jamal Murray led the team with 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting, including two three-pointers and 7-of-8 free throw shooting.
Christian Braun scored just 8 points on 3-of-8 shooting, but was valuable on both ends, adding two three-pointers of his own and recording two blocks, all while helping limit Gilgeous-Alexander to 18 points on 7-of-22 shooting.
But it was Aaron Gordon, once again, who deserves the “Player of the Game” accolades in my books. His three-pointer was his third shot in the final minute this postseason to either take the lead or tie the game: and the Nuggets have only played 10 games so far. Gordon has already been so important to this Nuggets team, but stepping up and being a clutch shot maker in big moments has already been the difference in two games this series. Gordon’s current value to this Nuggets team can’t be overstated.
Gordon also finished with one of the cleanest stat sheets of the night for Denver: 22 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal on 7-of-11 shooting, 4-of-6 three-point shooting, and 4-of-4 free throw shooting.
For Oklahoma City, Jalen Williams led the offensive charge with 32 points on 11-of-21 shooting with three three-pointers.
Chet Holmgren had 18 points and 16 rebounds for the Thunder, and but missed some shots when Oklahoma City needed them to fall. Holmgren finished 7-of-19 from the field and 1-of-6 from three-point range.
If it wasn’t for Aaron Gordon’s continued heroics, the Nuggets could easily be down 2-1 or even 3-0 in this series. Instead, the Nuggets hold a 2-1 series lead on the top-seeded team in the Western Conference, who also happened to finish with the best overall record in the NBA at 68-14.
Can the Nuggets win Game 4 at home to really put some pressure on the Thunder, or will the series be tied 2-2 heading back to Oklahoma City? It’s a quick turnaround for both teams, who tip off at 1:30PM Mountain Time on Sunday, Mother’s Day morning, roughly 38 hours after finishing their overtime Game 3 bout on Friday night.
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Header Photo Credit: NBC Sports
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