Thunder Rally in Overtime to Beat Nuggets 127-121
How the game unfolded
The Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off a comeback to edge the Denver Nuggets 127-121 in overtime. Denver led for much of the contest, but the Thunder closed stronger and took control in the extra period. The win improved Oklahoma City’s record to 46-15, while Denver fell to 37-23.
The Nuggets jumped out quickly, hitting seven of their first 11 three-pointers and opening the game with a 33-19 advantage. Denver still looked the better team early on, but the Thunder chipped away over the second quarter. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, appearing for the first time after a long break, helped shrink the deficit and the teams went into halftime with Denver up 59-50.
In the second half the Thunder kept closing the gap. Oklahoma City grabbed a 107-105 lead in the fourth after an Alex Caruso three and seemed poised to win in regulation. Nikola Jokic answered with a clutch hook shot with just over 30 seconds left to force overtime.
In the extra period the Thunder opened with a 12-5 run that basically decided the outcome, holding off Denver’s comeback attempts to secure the victory.
Standouts and what’s next
Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double (23 points, 17 rebounds, 14 assists) but struggled with his shooting, finishing 9-for-25 from the floor and 2-for-10 from three. For Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 36 points. Chet Holmgren delivered a huge effort on the glass and scored 15 points while grabbing 21 rebounds.
For Denver, Jamal Murray poured in 39 points and Christian Braun added 23 in one of his best nights of the season. Despite those performances, Denver couldn’t hold off the Thunder’s late push.
Next up, the Thunder host the Dallas Mavericks, while the Nuggets return home to face the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Quick trivia: more than 15 years ago Tomas Satoransky won the Liga Endesa dunk contest, becoming the youngest player and the only point guard to win one of the final editions of that event in Spain.
