Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game-winning basket and Chet Holmgren’s nine blocks help Thunder defeat the Nuggets.
While playoff series and championships are not won in December, momentum from strong performances now can help in the postseason.
Oklahoma City received that on Saturday night.
When the reigning champion Nuggets, led by early MVP favorite Nikola Jokic, arrived to town, the Thunder were off to a 15-8 start and sat second in the West. Denver was a measuring stick game.
Oklahoma City met the requirements. Chet Holmgren first recorded nine shots stopped.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander then entered the lane and shut it out with the game on the line SGA finished with 25 points and eight assists, but Jalen Williams and Holmgren added 24 and 17 points apiece to lead the Thunder’s balanced offense. With 24 points, 12 assists, and six rebounds, Jokic led the Nuggets. For Denver, Aaron Gordon scored 16 points, while Michael Porter Jr. contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds.
With the assurance of a club that should be ranked second in the West, the Thunder are performing. We’ll see in April and May of this year that what the team is building is genuine.
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