Oklahoma City, OK – The Thunder welcomed the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets, for the second game of their four game home stand. Coming off of two straight losses the T?hunder looked to get back in the win column and get back on track.
They haven’t lost three games in a row all season and this was going to be a tough test to keep that streak going. Even with the Nuggets without their best player, Nikola Jokic, they are a tough team for anyone. The Thunder were also without some of their key guys with Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe being sidelined due to injuries.
To start the game, the Thunder played with a little bit of energy then that quickly went away as they looked lethargic for the remaining of the period. Their offense was pretty stagnant and they didn’t have much player movement making it easy for the Nuggets to defend them. When they got decent looks inside they couldn’t hit them shooting 6-17 in the paint.
Their defense wasn’t much better either. The Thunder point of attack defense was a little too soft as they gave up easy drives that led to kick outs to open shooters. That allowed the Nuggets to shoot 6-13 from 3 and it also allowed them to grab 4 offensive rebounds in the opening quarter.
If the Thunder wanted to win this one they were going to have to make some much needed changes.
Those changes finally showed up late in the second quarter when the Thunder picked up their intensity on the defensive end to make things uncomfortable for the Nuggets. It was a very physical game and the Thunder finally started to match the physicality to get back into the game and cut the Nuggets 13 point lead to four at the break.
That carried over into the second half with the Thunder being the more physical team and making many more effort plays. The ball and player movement also improved and the Thunder were able to generate much better looks in the entire second half. The bunnies they were missing in the first half started to fall in the second half which allowed them to dominate the paint.
It was a back and forth game throughout the second half and it came down to the last minute just like Monday night against the Wolves. The difference tonight was the Thunder were the team making all of the winning plays. It pushed them to a 105-100 victory and their streak of not losing 3 in a row continued.
Here are the reasons for the Thunder win
Getting back to their bread and butter
Early on, the Thunder missed a lot of shots in the paint. 6-17 to be exact with a lot those were at the rim. It would have been easy for them to start settling for threes or shying away from the physicality the Nuggets brought but they didn’t. They continued to force the issue there and figured out a way to dominate the paint. Winning it 50-34 and getting back to their bread and butter.
They could have shot a lot better in the paint and it isn’t all about them winning the paint by 16 points. It was more so about them playing to their strengths. Playing inside out led to them getting some good looks from 3 and those started to finally fall. It was a big difference in the game.
Micic, Chet, Cason, Lu, and KenrichÂ
This lineup was the lineup the Thunder went to starting the fourth and was a huge reason they won this game. This was a lineup they hadn’t gone to all year but due to injuries they had to go to some different looks.
“They were just monsters. On both ends. Cason was really into it defensively. Vasa [Micic] obviously had a great flow. Kenrich [Williams] had some timely rebounds. He was all over the glass.” Mark Daigneault when asked about the lineup to start the fourth.
“Obviously Chet, we talked about and [Lu] Dort. You know struggling to shoot it, he played minute for minute with [Jamal] Murray in the fourth. My favorite play of the night from him was, there was a loose ball that was basically out of bounds and he’s like diving on it anyways. It’s just a mentality thing…no one’s feeling great right now including him and for him to play with that kind of endure when his offense has been, you know not there the last couple of games. For him to compete like that, it’s really special.”
Normally, the start of the fourth is the time Jalen Williams run the show but they didn’t have him tonight. They had to get a little unconventional. With a one point lead, they needed a strong start to, at the very least, stay even with the Nuggets.
“They were fantastic. They won us the game for sure. Stretched the lead out. I don’t know numbers but they for sure strung the most stops in a row…they were clicking. They were really good.” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on this lineup.
They did better than get a strong start. They got off to a 10-0 start and pushed the Thunder lead to 11. This not only gave the Thunder a double digit lead but also gave the Thunder a chance to give Shai Gilgeous-Alexander his normal rest and not have to bring him back in early.
It also showed off their depth and showed everything they could do in a pressure situation.
Unlimited Effort
The biggest reason for the Thunder win against the Nuggets is effort.
It has been a very long month for them playing 17 games and 5 back to backs. Everyone is very tired and nicked up so the fact that they gave the effort they did was really impressive.
“When things aren’t going your way, one of the best ways to turn it around is to just go out there and make it happen.” Chet Holmgren on the effort The Thunder showed against the Nuggets
This game came down to a lot of effort plays and it was the Thunder that made them all. Whether it was an offensive rebound, diving for a loose ball, running back on defense to not give up a layup, the Thunder made the plays. All of those plays are what led to them winning the game.
“Great.” Mark Daigneault when asked what he thought of the effort the Thunder gave after a long January.
“They’re going into the reserves right now, the players are, you know, to make sure that they try and compete to win and we did that against Minnesota, fell short and we did it tonight and came out on top.”
The Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who had another 30 point game with 34 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Chet Holmgren looked like his old self and contributed 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks. The efforts of Aaron Wiggins and Vasilje Micic went beyond numbers with both contributing 12 points off the bench.
The Thunder will look to make it two in a row when they host the Hornets Friday night.
