Mar 9, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) passes around Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
In a nationally televised showdown between this season’s top two Western Conference teams and MVP contenders, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets 127-103 Sunday afternoon for its seventh straight win. The Thunder won the fourth quarter 41-20.
Oklahoma City blocked a season-high 14 shots, including five from Chet Holmgren, three from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and three from Cason Wallace.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 40 points on 32 shots, eight rebounds and five assists. He went on a fourth-quarter scoring flurry to help the Thunder ultimately pull away. Jalen Williams produced 26 points on 7-for-14 shooting, nine rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block.
Nikola Jokic registered 24 points on 10-for-23 shooting, 13 rebounds, nine assists and three blocks in a losing effort.
Statistic
Thunder
Nuggets
Points
127
103
2-Pointers
33-for-56
28-for-57
3-Pointers
13-for-38
12-for-40
Free Throws
22-for-25
11-for-20
Turnovers
5
7
Offensive Rebounds
10
14
The Thunder started Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Luguentz Dort.
The Nuggets started Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic.
Denver scored the game’s first 10 points. Jokic made a running layup over Hartenstein after the German big man deflected two passes and forced a jump ball on the possession. Porter Jr. threw down a breakaway dunk from Gilgeous-Alexander’s first turnover and made a layup from a precise Jokic assist to force Oklahoma City’s first timeout.
The Thunder cut its deficit in half quickly. Holmgren converted a wide-open catch-and-shoot triple before Gilgeous-Alexander made three driving layups in under two minutes, causing the Nuggets to take their first timeout.
Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander racked up five made field goals from 4:13 to 2:34, each flashing their interior and mid-range touch. They combined for 26 points on 21 shots, eight rebounds and two assists during the first quarter. Jaylin Williams knocked down a corner triple with under a second remaining, and the Thunder trailed 29-28 after 12 minutes.
Holmgren put in a dunk for Oklahoma City’s first second-quarter score but checked out in the next minute due to picking up his third foul — although he returned with 8:16 left in the frame. Murray made a difficult driving finish and two free throws, but the Thunder responded with a Jalen Williams floater and Alex Caruso and-one layup to take a three-point advantage.
Holmgren made a driving lefty layup midway through the quarter, starting a five-possession scoring streak for the Thunder. Both teams started ice-cold from downtown, but Jaylin Williams and Braun each made two triples in a minute to ignite their teams’ offenses. With 4:17 remaining before halftime, Holmgren threw down a spinning transition dunk after a Jokic turnover to hand Oklahoma City an eight-point lead, its largest of the game.
Braun brought Denver back into the game by tipping in a missed Russell Westbrook 3-pointer, making an and-one transition layup past Caruso and knocking down his third triple on Jokic’s fifth assist to reach 15 first-half points. Gilgeous-Alexander and Porter Jr. traded interior baskets in the final minute. The Thunder held a narrow 61-60 halftime lead.
Jalen Williams scooped in a second-chance layup and found Hartenstein on an alley-oop lob right after the break. Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren then made consecutive and-one layups, as the Nuggets took a timeout three minutes into the frame down by eight points.
Both teams put together abhorrent shooting during the third quarter. Denver made 10 of 28 shots, including 3-for-13 on 3-pointers, while Oklahoma City shot 8-for-24 and did not make a triple. Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic combined for two threes on 19 attempts through the first 36 minutes. Murray made a triple with 28 seconds left but missed a 32-footer at the buzzer. The Thunder led 86-83 after three quarters.
Wallace converted a left-corner 3-pointer to start Oklahoma City’s fourth-quarter scoring — his first basket of the afternoon. Caruso knocked down his first three from the same spot less than a minute later to counter Westbrook’s swished triple. The Thunder went on a 9-0 run from 9:06 to 7:28, as Jalen Williams registered a half-spin jumper and made four free throws, increasing its lead to 103-91.
The Thunder plays a rematch against the Nuggets tomorrow at 7 p.m. CST.
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Published 1 Minute Ago|Modified 3:36 PM EDT
