Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points and Cason Wallace added a career-high 27, including seven 3-pointers, as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets 121-111 on Sunday night. Gilgeous-Alexander also recorded 13 assists, and the Thunder knocked down 19 3-pointers as they bounced back from losing three of four games. Oklahoma City hit 8 of 13 from deep in the third quarter, expanding a seven-point halftime lead to 16.
Peyton Watson led Denver with 29 points, but the Nuggets never led in the first matchup of the season between the top two Western Conference teams. It was their first meeting since the Thunder beat Denver in Game 7 of last May’s Western Conference semifinals en route to Oklahoma City’s first NBA championship.
Denver’s All-Stars had quiet nights. Nikola Jokic scored 16 points on nine shots in his second game back from a 16-game knee injury absence, while Jamal Murray, named an All-Star for the first time in his ninth NBA season, had 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting and 12 assists, including just 1-for-8 from 3-point range.
The Thunder led by 14 in the first half and took a 62-55 edge into the break. Denver pulled to 74-70 in the third before Chet Holmgren hit a 3-pointer and Wallace sank his sixth and seventh triples. After a Denver timeout, Gilgeous-Alexander and Aaron Wiggins added 3-pointers to cap a 12-0 run, all from beyond the arc.
Both teams were missing multiple starters. Oklahoma City was without Jalen Williams (hamstring), Ajay Mitchell (abdomen) and Alex Caruso (right adductor strain), while Denver continues to wait on Christian Braun (left ankle) and Cameron Johnson (right knee), with Aaron Gordon (right hamstring) sidelined until mid-March. Isaiah Hartenstein and Jokic returned to their lineups Thursday.
Up next:
Oklahoma City hosts Orlando on Tuesday, and Denver visits Detroit on Tuesday.
