Oklahoma City (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander netted 31 points, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 112-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, advancing their record to 3-2 in the Western Conference Semi-Final Series.
Oklahoma City managed to overcome a 15-point deficit, facing 44 points from Denver’s Nikola Jokic. The Thunder will look to clinch the series in Denver this Thursday.
Gilgeous-Alexander achieved 12 out of 23 field goals, bouncing back from a slow start to guide six players into double digits.
“Great players rise to the occasion when faced with challenges and adversity,” remarked Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. “I thought he grew more composed as the game progressed; despite the rising pressure, he kept his cool, played smart, and let the game unfold before him.”
Jokic was impressive, hitting 17 of his 25 attempts. Jamal Murray contributed 28 points for Denver, but only converted 10 of his 27 shots. No other players from Denver scored more than 13 points.
“This is a really tough loss,” stated David Adelman, interim coach for Denver. “Fans should feel disappointed. This is a significant defeat, and we need to secure a win in Game 6 to have a chance to rebound and finish strong.”
Oklahoma City started strong with a 12-2 lead, hinting at a potential blowout victory in Game 2. Denver managed to connect on only one of their first nine shots, with Jokic delivering a putback.
Denver rallied to lead for the first time in the second quarter, but Oklahoma City responded with a strong finish, only trailing 56-54 at halftime. Jokic put up 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds before the break.
Murray added 13 points in the third quarter, with Jokic contributing 12, giving the Nuggets an 86-78 lead. However, they missed critical opportunities.
“Every time I had a chance to cut it to 12 or 14, it felt like I could score or make a play, but it just didn’t happen,” lamented Adelman.
Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort, who only had three points in the first three quarters, sank a trio of three-pointers in a two-minute span to narrow Denver’s lead to 92-90 midway through the fourth.
Jokic tied the game at 103 with a deep fadeaway three-pointer before Oklahoma City surged. With 1:18 remaining, a three-pointer from Jalen Williams gave the Thunder a 106-103 lead, extending Oklahoma City’s advantage to six with a three from Gilgeous-Alexander just 48 seconds later.
“We expected a close matchup in the playoffs,” Daigneault commented.
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Source: apnews.com