Finding Aaron Wiggins underneath the basket, Chet Holmgren dished the assist to push OKC’s lead to 20 points to enter the final frame. The young squad was on their way to blowing out the reigning NBA champions.
The Oklahoma City Thunder picked up another signature victory with a 119-93 win over the Denver Nuggets. The Thunder have now won both of their Denver road games this season in enthusiastic fashion in the forms of a game-winner and walloping.
“I really respect the approach our players took tonight,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “Really good from the jump. Tight on both ends of the floor in terms of understanding the plan and got off to a really good start.
We were able to throw the first punch of the game, which I think is important with a team with this much confidence.”
After building a 54-48 halftime lead, the Thunder finished the third quarter on a 28-9 run to blow this game open. A 34-point third quarter by OKC was its strongest quarter of the night.
The Thunder added to their lead in the final frame, leading by as many as 26 points. It was a stress-free fourth quarter as OKC muted Denver’s home crowd.
On offense, the Thunder continue to run like a well-oiled machine. Recent performances have seen them climb to No. 6 in offensive rating. This game should help with that number.
OKC shot 51% from the field and went 12-of-35 (34.3%) from 3. It went an efficient 15-of-16 from the free-throw line and collected 29 assists on 46 buckets. The fast break was the Thunder’s friend with 25 points in transition alone.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander headlined the massive win with 40 points on 20 shots. Chet Holmgren also contributed with 24 points — including a monster first quarter.
“He was just cruising. He let the game come to him,” Daigneault said on Gilgeous-Alexander. “He never seemed like he was forcing. Played the right way throughout; made the right passes; kept the honest; got to his spots. It’s kinda routine at this point, but he played a great game.”
Meanwhile, the Nuggets never gained any rhythm against OKC’s stout defense. Denver shot 42% from the field and went a cold 10-of-37 (27%) from 3. It had 30 assists but committed 17 turnovers.
After an eight-point first quarter, Nikola Jokic was limited to 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Michael Porter Jr. had 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting. Jamal Murray was limited to nine points on 4-of-15 shooting and 11 assists.
Sitting at 21-9 with two of their last three wins coming against the two teams ahead of them in the Western Conference standings, the Thunder have made it known through 30 games that they’re a real contender.
“We’re heading in the right direction for sure. I can feel it. The guys on the team can feel it. Everyone can feel it. We’re getting better,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus
At this point, you should know the drill.Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was awesome once again. It’s getting to the point where proper adjectives to describe him are drying up.
In 33 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points on 14-of-20 shooting, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. He shot a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line.
The 25-year-old conducted his scoring like he usually does, by attacking the paint and hitting on soul-crushing jumpers. The All-NBA guard has entered a rare group of players where he’s simply unstoppable and opposing teams can only hope to make it difficult for him.
Per usual, he once again dominated the third quarter, scoring 17 points to open the floodgates. The lopsided period helped limit Gilgeous-Alexander to just four minutes in the final frame.
“Tomorrow we need to wake up and do the same thing we would have if we lost. That’s our mentality. Nothing’s complete, especially this early in the season,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We’re not where we want to be. We want to be a better team by the end of the season than we are today.”
SGAutomatic #ThunderUp | @okcthunder | 📺: BSOK pic.twitter.com/KAAzogDWs9
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) December 30, 2023
Shai spins & scores 😵💫
Vote Shai: https://t.co/2FFNkzxxzm pic.twitter.com/pHvq9ojBnw
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 30, 2023
Dort ➡️ Dub 👀 SGA 🔨
Vote Thunder: https://t.co/2FFNkzxxzm pic.twitter.com/Z2ZKRejQeM
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 30, 2023
BANG GOES THE DYNOMITE #ThunderUp | @okcthunder | 📺: BSOK pic.twitter.com/YFNn33dpTf
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) December 30, 2023
Turning defense to offense by any means 😤 pic.twitter.com/LQu7g5P8z2
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 30, 2023
SGA channeling his inner Batman over the Joker 🦇 🤡#ThunderUp | @okcthunder | 📺: BSOK pic.twitter.com/ml7mRURKAe
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) December 30, 2023
Chet Holmgren: A-plus
Swishing in back-to-back 3-pointers, Holmgren started strong against the Nuggets and foreshadowed the type of night OKC enjoyed.
The seven-foot rookie went on to have a monster first quarter to set the tone with a 14-point first quarter to lead OKC to a 33-point opening frame.
Overall, Holmgren had 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks. He also went a perfect 4-of-4 from 3.
After struggling in their home opener against Denver, Holmgren made the proper adjustments and strung together two loud games against the Nuggets. The 21-year-old continues to play beyond his experience for the Thunder.
Chet working from the inside out 🎯 pic.twitter.com/SGE994WsY7
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 30, 2023
10 early points on the board for the Thunder… all by Chet 👀#ThunderUp | @okcthunder | 📺: BSOK pic.twitter.com/2fvX7R9hko
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) December 30, 2023
Chet rejects it to start the break 🚫
Vote Thunder: https://t.co/2FFNkzxxzm pic.twitter.com/E3ay6TuqM0
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 30, 2023
Dime 👀#ThunderUp | @okcthunder | 📺: BSOK pic.twitter.com/Ado0qVD75u
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) December 30, 2023
Digging deep on defense in Denver pic.twitter.com/qrb7elccg0
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 30, 2023
Josh Giddey: B
It’s been slow and steady, but Giddey has been a positive for the Thunder over the last handful of games.
Against the Nuggets, Giddey had 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting, eight rebounds and four assists. He was a plus-16 in 21 minutes.
After struggling to finish inside for most of the year, Giddey went an acceptable 5-of-8 inside of the paint. The 21-year-old has found a role within the Thunder hierarchy that benefits both him and the team in recent outings.
Flowing out the half 🤝
📺 @BallySportsOK pic.twitter.com/cnaoGMR7Le
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 30, 2023
So nice, we had to watch it twice!#ThunderUp | @okcthunder | 📺: BSOK pic.twitter.com/z0aYHkhmLN
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) December 30, 2023
Jalen Williams: B
The scoring wasn’t there, but the playmaking made up for it for Williams. In 31 minutes, the second-year wing had 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Williams helped keep a healthy distance on the scoreboard in the final quarter as his seven points calmed down any fears of a potential Nuggets run.
The 22-year-old was part of a group effort to help limit Porter Jr., who scored 12 points on 12 shots. With Aaron Gordon out, Porter Jr. likely entered the night expecting a larger offensive load that never materialized.
“He wasn’t trying to force anything. Ended up passing and being a facilitator more tonight than normal,” Daigneault said on Williams. “Coming off a game (against) New York, a typical, common player would try to replicate that and I didn’t think he did that at all…
“He could’ve scored more tonight if he tried to score and he would’ve been less impactful.”
Dime from Dub pic.twitter.com/ROKK0p1taj
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 30, 2023
Jaylin Williams: B
The stats don’t pop out, but Williams played an important role in OKC’s win.
It seems like Daigneault has discovered a helpful tool with Williams as being a specialty defender on Jokic, who had one of his quietest nights of the season.
In 17 minutes off the bench, Williams had eight rebounds and four assists. Arguably the highlight of the night was the 21-year-old recording a block and drawing a charge on the same possession. He also drew another charge that was initially called a blocking foul.
The Thunder elected to match Denver’s size with the second-year forward and he stepped up to the challenge.
“J-Will was outstanding, especially on Jokic,” Daigneault said on Williams. “That’s obviously one of the toughest covers in the league and he really executed on a high level.”
JWill with a defensive boom! 😳@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/34trrwosAE
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 30, 2023
