The NBA continues to have close contests each and every night with the regular season rapidly reaching its conclusion and Monday night in Oklahoma City was no different. The Nuggets came to town on a slide, losing four-of-their-last six games and were looking to make a statement against a Thunder squad that has been the best team in the NBA nearly all season. OKC has only lost two games in the last thirteen they have played, with most of those wins coming without reigning MVP and best player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA is the engine to this deep Thunder squad and last night was no different after producing another massive shot in the clutch to cap off another 35 point performance.
SGA hit a massive step-back 3-pointer to down the Nuggets in another instant classic from these two in a season where the Thunder look very poised to repeat as NBA Champions. The Thunder’s depth continues to show why they are 51-15 with 16 games left in the regular season, with Chet Holmgren out back up forward Jaylin Williams had a career night dropping 29 points and 12 rebounds on 10-for-17 shooting and hitting 11 threes. Isaiah Joe and Jared McCain were the only other Thunder players to score in double figures, both with 13, but the Thunder’s ability to control the tempo and hit big shots when needed is what set them apart from a Nuggets team that has not been able to find consistency all season.
The Nuggets continuity problem has stemmed from the roster’s inability to stay healthy all season and it has directly bled into the product on the court. While Jokic has returned after missing the most games consecutively of his career (16), Denver still has not managed to find a solid chemistry with the players that have been available due to guys continuing to get re-injured for extended stretches. While this has been a common theme, Jamal Murray has also elevated his game this season, but struggled shooting the ball last night, going 0-for-4 from downtown but still managed to get 21 points on 9-for-21 shooting. Nikola Jokic continues to be the life line for Denver, recording his 24th triple-double of the season with 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists in a game where if he did not record a triple-double the Nuggets would have lost by 20. Aaron Gordon looked more like his usual self after missing a lot of time with a recurring hamstring injury. Gordon finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds while shooting a little under 50% from the field. The major catalyst that the Nuggets have had this season is Tim Hardaway Jr coming off the bench. Hardaway had 28 points on 10-for-16 shooting and knocked down 8 3-pointers on 12 attempts in a game where the Nuggets bench relied on him alone for any sort of spark.
While the Nuggets continue to reel in the wrong direction, towards the play-in tournament, the Thunder look like they’re hitting their stride even harder at the exact right time. SGA is going to win MVP for the second-straight season, as his odds in sportsbooks are -800 or better, and no matter how enticing the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics look in the East, the Thunder are still the standard to beat. As for Denver, with all the off season moves they made this summer and the hype that was building in the Mile High City, the injury bug seems to have effected this roster too much and Denver should look at moving on from first year head coach David Adelman as it seems like he cannot rally this locker room into a championship contender.
